


Blood Prince

by ihrt



Series: Bloodlust [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Ron Weasley, Bisexuality, Character Study, F/M, Kings and Queens, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Personal Growth, Powerful Ron, Ron/Hermione Endgame, Transformation, Vampire Ron, Vampire Royalty, Vampires, Weapons, not OP, prince - Freeform, seer ron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 51,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihrt/pseuds/ihrt
Summary: Previous fic: Blood ChildRon was turned into a vampire after a random attack that nearly cost him his life. With his new mentor Donovan Grey who is the Patriarch of the vampires, he's learned confidence and settled into his own skin a bit. But Voldemort is still plotting his return to power as Hogwarts' begins the Tri-wizard tournament. Ron, Harry, and Hermione need to face the plots swirling around them as they unfold.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Ron Weasley, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Ron Weasley/OC?
Series: Bloodlust [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793614
Comments: 51
Kudos: 92





	1. Summer

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second in a series, none of this will make much sense unless you've read the previous fic: BLOOD CHILD.  
> Those of you who have read the previous, welcome! I'm excited to continue this series!

_BEFORE THE SUMMER_

_“Sit,” Don pointed to the seat, they were once again in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. Ron sat, waiting quietly for whatever it was that Don wanted to say. “I’ve concluded something,” he said._

_“What kind of conclusion?” Ron asked, hoping it wasn’t a bad one like deciding he should stay at Nacht Castle after all or something._

_“I’ve been training you and it’s gone very well, you are learning. Your naturally athletic and you’ve made leaps and bounds since we began. But I realized very quickly that your training is effective for close combat. You have to be close to your opponent,” Don explained._

_“Right,” he said._

_“But wizards don’t fight like that, they settle in the long-range. A wand aimed right would kill very easily,” Don explained._

_“But I’m a wizard too, I have a wand too,” Ron said, he wish he were better at defensive spells but regardless, he could do a few._

_“I’m aware but I think you should have every advantage available to you. I thought for a long time what would be useful against wizards. There’s quite a few that I think could be useful with enough training.”_

_Just what he didn’t want, more training again, pretty soon Ron wasn’t going to have any time to himself. “A few what?” Ron asked._

_Don pulled a bag onto the table he’d brought in, he dug through it and began to set objects on the table. “I thought about a gun, but bullets can only be used once so it may be a waste. I picked out four weapons that I want to train you in.”_

_Ron eyed them all, he could recognize a whip when he saw one but the rest were all foreign to him. He picked up the small silver disc about the diameter of his headfirst and was startled when he cut himself on the sharp edge of it. He licked his finger to heal it._

_“What you are holding right now is a Chaka or chakram, they originate from India. They are throwing and are sharp enough to cut through bones. I’ve been in contact with a talented wizard in India who will be able to create some that can shrink and enlarge.”_   
_“So I could carry them around?”_

_“I imagine in India, you could wear them as a necklace with how thin they are. But I think if they are like rings, you could keep them in a pouch at your belt,” Don explained._

_“But I can only throw them once,” Ron suggested._

_“They could be charmed to multiply and disappear after a certain period,” Don said._

_“Oh, and this?” Ron picked up a thin wire attached to a metal thing then a stylized arrow with the point on all ends like a hook._

_“That is a garotte, it’s meant to choke someone but with enough force, you can cut someone's head off or any other body part,” Don explained. Ron swallowed then set it down “the training with that will be similar to the training with the whip, normally garottes are not so long but if we want it to be effective it’s best if it is.”_

_“So these will fix that long-range problem then? What about my wand though?” Ron asked._

_“What does a wizard do when they are disarmed?” Don asked._

_“It’s a defeat, they can’t do anything,” Ron said._

_“Wrong, they won’t do anything because they think the wand is the greatest weapon if it’s held against them,” Don said. “Now you should be thinking, what do you do if your wand is knocked from your hands?”_

_Ron sat back “wizards think that hand to hand fighting is barbaric, it’s a taboo especially for purebloods,” he said._

_“Exactly,” Don grinned sharply resembling Sol “if monsters are what they prefer to think of us as we’ll just have to prove that they don’t want us as enemies.”_

Xxx

FOUR MONTHS LATER

  
“HWACK! HWACK! HWACK!” Ron’s whole body burned, his forearms nearly trembling from the long excursion of cracking the whip a hundred times. His life at the Burrow had begun the summer of numbers.

A hundred cracks of a whip, fifty laps around the property, forty throws of the Chaka rings, thirty push-ups… and the list goes on and on. Enhanced strength meant he had to work even harder to make it work out. The first week, he collapsed onto the floor and no one could get him to move.

Don would meet once a week to check his progress and give him other homework with language, etiquette, and then spar with him. He also would come to deliver a shipment of blood to get him through the week.

By now the amount of blood he was consuming was probably twice the usual. Especially after the hellish workout and as much he hated it, he’d noticed the difference. He didn’t need to flex to see the muscle definition.

“You sit straighter,” Ginny said one day while they ate breakfast.

“What?” Ron asked, mid-sip of his metal bottle that his mother now used to store his evening meal of blood. He realized that he didn’t slouch anymore, the muscles he’d been building in his back, abdominals, and shoulders ensured that.

He was almost afraid of getting a build that was too big but a talk with Don, or more like Don laughing at him, ensured him he wouldn’t grow muscle horizontally unless he intended to. “You’ve got a build for speed and we’re keeping it,” Don promised.

And by keeping it, he meant that Ron was put through hell. He should consider himself lucky that he didn’t have to worry about a diet with being a vampire, blood was a perfect balance as Don always told him.

He didn’t usually stand in the mirror too long lest he finds just one more thing to pick at himself for. His overly prominent nose, his too-big hands, his dainty wrists, and lanky figure. He had stared at himself trying to find something he recognized, lately, it was harder.

His too thin frame was filling out with muscle and even his wrists seemed bigger in comparison. His always ears now pointed were pierced. His teeth were starkly white and his canines sharp. His cheeks had lost some baby fat, just a bit so that he looked older.

“Ron! Are you done in there?” Ginny banged on the door and he turned away from the mirror.

“Just a minute,” Ron slipped on his shirt over his head and stuck his arms through. It stretched a bit uncomfortably over his arms. He’d have to get bigger size before they went back to Hogwarts. He put on his wrist cuffs and amulet and opened the door.

“Finally, I need to brush my teeth,” Ginny said.

“Should have done before I got back then,” Ron said moving past her to get a larger shirt that didn’t make him want to rip it in half.

XXX

“Oh look who’s showing off,” George said. The twins always did find reasons to tease him but more so when he got results of training.

“You know the thicker he gets, the less he’ll use his brain. Then we’ll get him” Fred said.

Ron didn’t even have to look at George to shove him off his chair and take a seat in his place. George squawked in protest and Ginny laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there on account of how thick my brain is,” Ron said giving Fred a shove with his foot which had enough force so that both twins were on the floor.

Ron propped his feet on the empty chair “oi!” Fred said. Mum put a glass of his blood in front of him, “mum, did you see what he did?”

Ron cocked his ear as he heard a small puff and feet hit the stone fireplace. It was the sound of the floo network. “Mum, someone’s here,” Ron said and stood to walk into the sitting room.

He smiled when he caught sight of bushy hair and chocolate eyes. She looked pretty in tan pleated skirt and sleeveless blouse. “Hermione,” he said.

“Hi Ron, did you have a good... summer?” Hermione asked setting down her trunk. Her eyes had grown impossibly larger.

“Hermione, lovely to see you dear” Mum came in next bringing her into a hug.

“You too, Mrs. Weasley,” Hermione said.

“You want some breakfast, dear?” Mum asked.

“My parents and I went out for breakfast but I’d take some tea,” Hermione said, Mum stepped away and headed into the kitchen.

“Of course, Ron will take your trunk upstairs,” Mum said.

“Hm? Oh, sure” Ron said, “hang on, though, where’s my hug?” Ron asked.

Hermione smiled and hugged him, she was so tiny he picked up without any trouble and spun her a bit. Hermione laughed and smacked his arm “put me down, Ron!” he set her down.

“Alright Ron, go put Hermione’s trunk upstairs okay?’ Mum said.

Ron sighed then picked up Hermione’s trunk with so little effort he wondered if it was Hermione’s considering how many books she carried. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he said to her.

“Alright,” Hermione said and he walked up the stairs.

Hermione was seated next to Ginny at the table, Ron snuck up on her and tugged lightly on a lock of hair. Hermione jumped a bit and whirled to look at him. “Hello, no time for one of your best mates. I see how it is” Ron said.

“Ron,” Hermione said in a half-hearted scolding tone.

Ron smiled “you know I think you’ve shrunk” he commented.

“You’re just taller,” Hermione said then stepped away and kept her hands on his shoulders “and bigger, just what have you been doing this summer?” Hermione had been on vacation with her parents in Australia for most of the summer.

“Oh, same old stuff with Don training me in weapon stuff. Just kicked it up a notch with how much free time I have now,” Ron explained.

“I see, well are you excited for the World Cup?” Hermione asked.

“Are you kidding, it’s gonna amazing and I’ve got my money on-” he paused at the sound of floo again. “That’s got to be Harry,” he stood up to go to the fireplace to see Harry stepped out of the fireplace.

Harry looked great, amazing actually since he hadn’t had to stay at the Dursley’s all summer as he would normally. Dressed in a tracksuit that fit him, Harry had filled out a bit rather than gotten rail thin like previously. “Look at you,” he said.

“Me? Well, I had to make sure Sirius ate so we both sort of benefitted but you,” Harry gestured at Ron. “You're so strong,”

“I should be with the hell I was put through,” Ron said, “So tell me about summer,” Ron said. Harry agreed to explain what Sirius and he had been doing while touring around Spain, Italy, and France.

And then they got to talking about the World Cup, it was the one thing that never changed between them. Harry and Ron talking about Quidditch and Hermione's exasperation.

All three of them went upstairs to talk in Ron’s room “what happened?” Hermione asked staring at his bed, the post had a fair bit of scratches.

“Had a few bad dreams and I’ve gripped the posts with my nails a few times,” he replied, he didn’t mention he’d scratched himself too but Harry’s look told him he suspected that.

“Your having nightmares?” Hermione asked.

“Your not?” Ron asked, he knew Harry did have nightmares especially their second year. It was havoc on Harry’s mood.

“No,” Hermione said “it’s hard to get to sleep sometimes but it doesn’t mean I don’t get scared thinking about that night. What could have happened.” He knew that not everyone would lose sleep over what happened. But his nightmares were different, they weren’t like the giant shadowy spiders he dreamed about as a child.

They were random that didn’t make sense, Harry running after a cackling witch among black tiles walls, Hermione’s screams while he slammed his fists against a set of iron bars, and the scenes went on.

He’d exchanged letters with Raya about his dreams often and she had said they were more than nightmares and heed their warnings. But what warnings? How was he supposed to understand without all the pieces?

“Well, I’ve been having dreams too…” Harry admitted then explained that lately, his scar had been hurting worse and more often. Hermione was quick to jump on him to tell Dumbledore.

“I told Sirius and I didn’t tell him it was a secret or anything. So, I’m sure Dumbledore already knows,” Harry said.

“Well, maybe you ask Sirius or talk to Dumbledore next time you see him. It could be important,” Hermione said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Harry sounded tired so Ron changed the subject to Quidditch again.

Xxx

The next morning, Ron woke early as he had done every day since the first of summer break. He quietly changed into some shorts, a t-shirt, and his trainers then slipped out the bedroom door.

His training began very early at six am where he’d drink about half a pint of blood then start on his running laps then exercise. Those being the quietest thing he could do so early, it was best to save his whip training for last.

“Morning dear,” Mum greeted him in the kitchen in her nighty, robe, and slippers.

“-Lo mum,” he yawned and leaned down to kiss her cheek. He drank his blood quickly without any preamble then grabbed his exercise mat and walked outside. It was dark still but the sun was just starting to brighten things up.

He stretched for fifteen minutes as Don told him, he’d been slowly increasing his flexibility that way. Then he left the mat to do his laps. The first ten were easy going but the longer he did them, the more exhausted he got. Even after a whole summer of running like this every day didn’t stop the ache.

But by now, he learned to like the burn. After his run, it was sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and other exercises. Then he threw Chaka, the small sharp rings that Don’s contact had charmed to enlarge in his hands. He threw them onto a wooden board they set up with red targets.

Ron breathed deeply as he twirled one of his chakrams around his pointer finger. He snapped his wrist hard and it hit with a sharp “thunk” as it embedded itself into the wooden board.

He sighed, it hadn’t hit the target so he took another. After a few months, he was only about seventy percent accuracy. It wouldn’t always hit the target but at least he never missed the wooden board.

Once his fingers were sore and he’d done the defined number set for today, he plucked all of the chakras out of the board and placed them on a ring holder. He thought back to Akal who came with Don to teach him how to use the chakra

_“Akal, this is my protege Ron Weasley Grey,” Don introduced and Ron nodded at the tall man. He was muscular with hawk-like pale blue eyes and milky brown skin. Around his head was a black and blue turban._

_“It’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness,” Akal said in a low deep voice that very pleasant to him with a slight accent. Something about him was calm and fierce, he felt dependable._

_“Let the pleasure be mine,” Ron said, he bowed at 30 degrees. “I’ve heard you are here to teach me so you can just call me Ron.”_

_Akal chuckled “mm, yes I’ve come to like that casual attitude from the Greys, even the chosen ones.”_

_Akal had pulled out a carved black box with the chakram he’d forged out of steel, they were mostly plain steel except for the carved insignia of the Grey wolf. “Isn’t that a little obvious?” Ron asked._

_“Maybe but it will soon very obvious anyway when they learn that the Prince of the Vampires and Harry Potter’s right-hand use these very unusual weapons this side of the world,” Akal replied._

_“Oh, right, that’s true,” Ron said._

_Akal instructed him for a week on how to throw them, store them, and sharpen them. “That whip of yours is a weapon with versatility but even it has a distance limit. The whip gives you the option to injure or disarm with it, with the chakram, use only if you can afford to kill your opponent,” he told him seriously._

_Ron took out his last chakra from the board and placed them back on a ring made for storing them when they shrunk to about an inch in diameter. He took out his whip and swung it “HWACK!”_

Xxx

Hermione work to the sounds of “HWACK!” She sat up groggily and after a moment decided to get dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt to discover the location of the sound. She found Mrs. Weasley bustling around the kitchen ignoring the sound.

“Good morning Hermione, breakfast will be ready in a little bit,” Mrs. Weasley said.

“Oh, thank you,” she said then looked outside.

“That’s just Ron practicing, Harry’s out there watching on the bench if you’d like to go,” she mentioned and Hermione nodded stepping outside the door to spot Ron first then Harry watching at a distance.

She walked closer and sat next to Harry who glanced at her “I’ve been watching what he’s been doing for a while, he didn’t notice me for a while, and when he did he only nodded. His focus is a little scary.

She swallowed and looked back to Ron who’s eyes were slits and he didn’t lose focus. “He’s become the brawn huh?” Hermione mentioned.

“He thinks he needs to protect us,” Harry said, “you think you need to protect me too,”

“How can we not want to protect each other? Harry, we’ve gotten in trouble since we were 11 and every year it gets worse and I think someday one of us could not walk away,” Hermione said.

“Never, we’ll never let that happen,” Harry said. “HWACK!” Ron’s whip seemed to sound off as if in agreement. “Do you feel like something will happen soon?”

Hermione had felt that as much as she put it out of her mind “lots of things will happen soon. Ron hasn’t made any announcement about being a Prince but he’ll have to. And- well, I don’t what else.”

“Hermione?” Ron’s voice made her turn, he looked surprised to see her “since when have you been here watching?” he asked.

“Oh uh, not long,” Hermione said “you done then?” she asked.

“Er yeah, sort of. I need to stretch,” he said.

“Breakfast!” Mrs. Weasley called out.

“You better go eat, I’ll be inside in a bit,” Ron said wrapping his whip up, it was an interesting thing too. A dark red leather that faded into a black at the fluffy bit at the end of it. She wondered how exactly a whip might be useful to Ron. It was big so how would Ron have it when the time came to even use it?

Things she’d have to ask Ron about later “come on,” Harry said and she went inside, glancing at Ron once to see him stretching, his back being exposed a little as he touched his toes. She flushed at the sight, he had gotten muscular.

The rest of the Weasley’s including Mr. Weasley was sat at the table now. It was quiet, so very quiet and Mrs. Weasley went to Harry. “What is it?” Harry asked.

“Some news that’s a bit troubling,” she sighed and handed him an article and Hermione gasped at the front page. “Peter Pettigrew, the real murderer and traitor of the Potter’s, escaped!”

Harry’s face turned sour, Hermione stepped forward to take the article and pour over it “This is garbage, the article is acting like Pettigrew is some mastermind with how he escaped-”

“No offense but I don’t care, Hermione, I guess it doesn’t matter so long as Sirius is still free,” Harry said and she stopped losing her traction. She decided that Harry likely wasn’t in the mood and if Harry didn’t want to talk about it or emote then she’d leave him be.

“I- ok,” she agreed then the door opened and Ron stepped inside.

“Pettigrew escaped?” Ron stepped into the doorway.

“You heard that?” Harry asked.

“I hear everything,” Ron dismissed “how, what happened?” Harry shook his head.

“I’m just gonna go-” Harry was surely going to escape into the privacy of Ron’s room but-

“Sit down and eat breakfast,” Mrs. Weasley told him firmly and Harry sat down “we can talk about this later, for now, Ron you need to shower then come down for a meal. You have a fun exciting day tomorrow at the Quidditch cup so let’s not let things like this spoil everything hm?”

Ron nodded “alright mum,” he said then walked upstairs.

Hermione ate breakfast with several thoughts in her mind, a discussion about Ron’s weapons training, when Ron would have to go public with his title, Pettigrew’s escape, and Harry’s nightmares.

She sighed as she was unsure which to talk about first, Ron’s life was quickly becoming more complicated beyond what she and Harry dealt with daily. It was getting harder to know what Ron was thinking and how he was thinking about it. He was getting smarter and stronger every day.

She was struggling with how to keep up with Ron but Harry was different too. She read his letters about how Sirius was teaching him some defensive and offense spells with permission from Dumbledore. Once she got back to Hogwarts, she’d have to kick it up a notch or two.

But what could she do? Her strengths were in research and finding spells, she wasn’t amazing under pressure but maybe that was it. She had to be better under pressure. Ron hit hardest with something breathing down his neck.

Well, maybe she should ask Don for a favor. If Ron’s training was pulling him away from them, she and Harry would just have to meet him there. She knew hand to hand was what Ron was doing when he trained even before weapons.

Maybe if she learned it too then it would be useful, after all, Ron couldn’t be everywhere at once. She’d been protected by Sol that day and then by one of the twin vampire girls.

She could learn to protect herself even without her wand, that’s what she’d need to do.


	2. Percy's way

Ron came downstairs to realize the crowd had gotten a bit larger, Bill, Charlie, and Percy were now also at the table. “He gets more handsome every time we see him, watch out Bill or Ron’s going to be the new ladykiller,” Charlie teased but Ron wasn't willing to bite. 

“Where’d you all come from?” Ron asked, flushing.

“We just arrived, Ron,” Percy said, “you’ve gotten bigger.”

“Well, you’d know if you visited more than a few times,” Ron said and Percy looked away. Ron spotted a slightly guilty expression “nevermind then, how have you been Percy?” Ron asked he noticed the indents in Percy’s cheeks. They seemed hollower like he was not eating enough.

“I-”

“Ron, we really need to play some Quidditch today!” Charlie interrupted.

“I’m in,” Bill agreed “I’ve been dying to test Harry’s seeker skills that you brag about every letter you send. 

Harry flushed “Ron?”

“Your an amazing seeker, Harry, it’s not my fault I tell the truth,” Ron said. 

“Exactly so we are playing a match today,” Charlie said, “I want to see someone good enough that they impressed McGonagall.” Ron was dragged into the game as a keeper and he discovered that he was better than he used to be.

His reflexes had gotten better so was able to block more often but not all. It was a broom after all and not his own body that he had full control over. Percy was talking with his dad then “I just don’t understand how you lose your own employee,” 

Sirius was also set at the table as well “no, you don’t understand, I knew Bertha Jorkins in school and she was absolutely daft. She had a tendency for poking her nose into things that could whack it right off,” 

Ron sat down at the table while everyone else sought to get to the shower first. “Do you think she’s in trouble?” Percy asked. 

“I’m not sure but I wouldn’t be surprised, she’d nearly caught us with Remus in school. No brains, at all,” Sirius said then sighed. “Anyway, I don’t disagree that Bagman is… irresponsible in some ways,” he side-eyed Dad “but I don’t blame him for Jorkin's disappearance.”

Percy nodded reluctantly “right, and I don’t want you looking into anything either, Percy” Dad added, “these times are getting more dangerous so stay out things when you can afford to.”

Percy’s gaze turned down “Percy, I’ve been dying for a challenge, would you like to play a game of chess?” Ron asked. 

“Sure, Ron,” Percy agreed and they sat in the sitting room and Ron made his first move. “So what have you been doing this summer? I’ve been… busy,” Percy admitted. 

“Well, I’m learning some weapons stuff and workouts and we work on my language skills too,” Ron explained. 

“I can’t believe your already fluent in Romanian and French,” Percy said, sounding actually impressed more with that then his physical achievements but it was Percy.

“I don’t know about fluent but I can at least hold a conversation,” Ron admitted then paused to look at the board to consider his next move. 

“That’s impressive though and you manage to shove the twins off your back about making good grades too,” Percy said.

“Oh, they still tease me about everything but that’s normal. So what about you?” Ron asked Percy was less peppy lately. Normally he’d jump at the chance to complain about the twins a bit more. 

“Oh, I’m doing well. I’m working under Barty Crouch Senior,” he said but he didn’t seem very sincere about it and Ron heard a lie in the way his voice inflected. Should he say something or just let him work it out?

“Good,” Ron said, he’d write some letters to him later and his dad was surely there to keep an eye out. Well, he hoped so. 

Xxx

Ron was running, to his right, he saw Harry and to his left, he spotted Hermione. His eyes shifted to see figures running after them. He ducked several spells overhead and Harry did the same. Hermione nearly tripped but gained her footing.

“Stop!” his father comes out of the works and the stunners vanish into the foggy air. Ron’s eyes shift upward and his breath stills when he spots a great skull with a snake slithering out of it. 

Xxx

Ron sits up with a sharp gasp and turns to see Harry staring at him. “Your eyes were open but you weren’t responding,” Harry said.

“A dream,” Ron muttered, sighing as he rubbed his forehead.

“Sounded a bit stranger than that,” Harry said. 

“I’m fine, what time is it?” Ron asked. 

“Two,” Harry said looking to the clock and Ron chose then to get up, today he wouldn’t have time for his exercises. 

“Go back to sleep Harry, we don’t leave until four,” Ron said, changing into jeans, boots, and a grey button-up. 

“I don’t think I could,” Harry said.

“Try,” Ron insisted “I don’t need as much sleep as you do,” he added. Harry laid on the mattress and as Ron quietly collected his things into a backpack, Harry eventually drifted off. 

He went downstairs and pulled his weapons box from a shelf. He placed his whip into his belt loops like it was designed to do. His wrists were always taken up by the solid metal cuffs with the spell that protected him from the sun. So since he couldn’t use his wrists to keep the garotte, Don had it designed to strap to his ankle. 

Ron set into reading while he waited for everyone else to wake up, downtime was common since he became a vampire. A few hours of sleep seemed to be all needed lately. He read a Romanian copy of Hogwarts a history, when Don handed him it, he thought it was a joke. 

“I figure it may help since you read the English version,” Don explained but Ron told him about how History of Magic was an incredibly boring class that no one paid attention to. Don looked amused at first but concerned as he explained. 

So here he was, reading Hogwarts a history in Romanian for practice. It was taking forever because it was a ridiculously thick book in the first place but it was also in a language he couldn’t read well in yet. Speaking Romanian and the other Romance languages was a piece of cake compared to reading them. Unsurprisingly, his mother was the first one up. 

“Morning darling,” she greeted, kissing the top of his head. With no one around to tease him about it, he smiled. 

“Morning mum,” he said. 

“You know, I kind of like that you are always up before me. It’s nice to have my youngest baby boy to myself,” she said. 

“Mum,” he flushed, mortified now.

“Oh shush, your only this cute for so long so let me have it,” she chuckled and pinched his cheek. She hummed then bustled around the kitchen preparing muffins judging by the twins she brought out. 

“I’ll have one,” Ron added. 

“You will?” she asked.

“We don’t need to eat but it’s still tasty,” he muttered and she beamed. 

“Oh, Ronnie,” she said and he ducked his head into his book. He couldn’t handle anymore mortification but he did like that he was making her happy. Especially with how much grief he’d caused last school year. 

“Morning Ron,” Ginny greeted, dressed in her muggle jean skirt, sweatshirt, and trainers.

“Hello Gin,” Ron said, glancing up from his book. 

“That’s not English,” Ginny said. 

“It’s Romanian,” Ron sighed. 

“You’ve become such a nerd, Ron,” Gin laughed.

“Don’t lump me in with Percy and Hermione, I’m not reading it because I really desire to read about Hogwarts in Romanian. It’s homework,” Ron said, bookmarking his page and shutting it.

“Royalty homework?” she asked, cutting her muffin in half and slathering strawberry jam all over it. His family tended to call it that whenever he was reading, writing, or practicing his languages. 

“Er yeah,” he said. Mum put a muffin in front of him as well a cup of tea “thanks mum.” He cut his muffin in half, same as Ginny but he elected for butter instead. Soon, everyone else met in the kitchen, dressed in their muggle clothing for the hike. Well, with the exception of Percy, Bill, and Charlie who can just apparate to the cup.

Xxx

Ron is a bit bored to death as he has to slow down so he doesn’t leave the rest of them in the dust. He looks back every once in a while and hangs around. When he reaches the top of Stoatshead Hill, he spots an older boy. 

A man presumably his father hangs back a bit, eying him warily. Ron is used to it but as a response, he draws back.

“Uh, hullo,” Ron greets the man and boy who is about seventeen with dark hair.

“Hi, your him, aren’t you? The vampire?” he asked. 

“What gave it away?” Ron asked, his smart mouth running away from him. 

The boy laughed “yeah, your right. Your eyes are different then I thought they’d be. Aren’t most vampires eyes red?” he asked curiously. 

“That’s a myth, they come in red, purple, blue, orange-”

“Silver and gold?” he finished “they’re pretty striking, not gonna lie. I’m Cedric Diggory, by the way,” he said offering a hand. Ron couldn’t detect any sense of mocking from the boy so he took it. 

“Ron,” he said then turned when the rest of his family and friends caught up to him

The man stepped forward when his father was in the picture but it was pretty obvious he was nervous around Ron. Luckily though, Harry quickly stole his attention even if it clearly reluctant. 

“Okay everyone, get ready,” his father finally announces and they all circle around the boot. Ron feels a tug from his naval and finds himself looking at the ground. He flips forward so that as gravity quickly returns, he lands neatly on the ground. 

His siblings and best friends were not so fortunate, “are you alright?” Ron asked picking up Hermione as Cedric helped Ginny to her feet. Harry and the twins were already dusting off. 

“Fine,” Hermione replied, breathless, Harry sidles closer to Ron as they make their way to the site and look around Ron smiles as both of his friend's eyes grow wide as they look around. Of course, he was just as amazed to see everything but it was fun to watch their reactions. 

“You know, where’s Don in all this? It seems kind of his thing, people making connections and all that,” Hermione admitted. 

“He is here,” Ron replied.

“What?” Harry asked as if he’d find Ron’s mentor behind him. 

“He just won’t meet up till a bit later, he said he had a surprise for me,” Ron said.

“You could’ve mentioned that,” Hermione sighed crossing her arms.

“Sorry,” Ron said. As the match approaches, Ron is a bit irritated at Barty Crouch’s behavior toward his brother. Even as the twins get a kick out of watching it, he fixates on Percy’s angry humiliated expression. As their father gestures they walk up to their seats, Ron grabs Percy’s arm.

“What is it?” Percy asked. 

“He can’t remember your name?” Ron asked. 

“He will, eventually, and then I can find a better job,” Percy said. Percy was proud and intelligent but he was also stubborn. 

“To be someone’s servant to the minister of magic?” Ron asked. 

“I want to be the minister but if you hadn’t noticed, most people don’t get power handed to them on a silver platter,” Percy snapped, he yanked his wrist back. Ron was a little startled because his brother wasn’t usually quick to anger. 

“Power?”

“Yes, Ron, and you have it. You got it the moment you became something that wizards feared even at the cost of 2nd rate citizenship. But you got a hundredfold being the Prince of an entire nation,” 

Ron wasn’t fooling himself into believing he hadn’t felt powerless. He wanted to be a step above others but he hated the selfishness of it. Malfoy lorded over people and he cringed to think of himself becoming like that. 

“So… so don’t lecture me on what I have to do get power like that,”

“Why do you want it so much?” Ron asked, “if you had it, Minister of Magic, what would you do?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’d change everything,” Percy replied and suddenly Ron recognized something in his brother. He was willing to make sacrifices to attain power but Ron didn’t want him to make one he didn’t have to. “There are issues that aren’t being addressed by complacent ministers like Fudge.”

Ron was shocked, he’d never heard Percy speak against authority figures like that. “Er, yeah,” he agreed.

“So… whatever I have to do, I’ll do it,” Percy added and turned away from Ron to walked up the steps. Ron caught his hand again and pulled him back, Percy turned back. 

“I’ll help you,” Ron said, meaning it. 

“You’re barely fourteen, how would you help me?” Percy asked, looking irritated and Ron knew what he was thinking. Ron was his youngest brother and to him, he was still little. 

“You know how, I’ve already met two ministers. The Romanian one and the Japanese minister. So let me help you, I won’t make fun of you for anything like the twins do. Anything you need, Percy,” Ron said. 

Percy sighed and took his hand back then placed it on Ron’s head “I have my pride, Ron. I’m doing this my way,” he said, and that the last of it. Ron felt an uncomfortable squirming in his stomach like if he didn’t watch Percy closely he’d drift away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we're getting into the World Cup and the relationships between Ron and his family get more complicated. 
> 
> I hope to high light some character flaws in this one:
> 
> Ron has a major self-worth issue as all of you have no doubt realized by now. It's getting better.
> 
> Percy feels like he constantly needs to prove himself yet he never gets the recognition from his siblings and coworker. As a result, he uses bravado to pretend he's not bothered by it.
> 
> Harry acts like a shield for others when he doesn't have to and he can be moody and quiet. It will drive Ron absolutely mad but this time, he won't stand for it.
> 
> Hermione is smart, she knows she is but she feels like that doesn't matter much. She also has strong opinions that while they come from the right place, can be problematic. Hermione isn't a saint! She can be mean and do the wrong thing. In Order of the Phoenix, she cut Ron off because he dated Lavender. He wasn't in the right either but can you blame him because Lavender actually showed she liked him?
> 
> Anyway, I'll get to the good stuff soon!


	3. Chapter 3

When Ron walked up the stairs after Percy ended their conversation, he met Ginny first. Over the summer, she’d really grown up a lot with gaining a couple of inches in height then losing some fat in her cheeks. She was a girl now and he didn’t like the looks a few boys were giving her. 

“What is it, Gin?” Ron asked standing at the top of a set of stairs not quite at the top.

“How do vampires age?” Ginny asked. 

Ron was a little surprised because most of his family preferred to pay attention to the more important things. Make sure he had blood and his wrist cuffs were on before he went out in the sun. It’s all anyone had asked him. 

It made him think that they’d had a meeting without him not to pester him about it. “I’ll probably live to about four hundred or five hundred,” Ron said. 

“But what about right now? You look older,” she added.

“I’ll get older until about twenty” Ron replied “sorry but you won’t look like my older sister for a long time,” he said ruffling her hair and taking a step toward the last set of stairs.

“It doesn’t bother you to think about how one day, all of us are gonna die when you still living on?” Ginny asked. 

“That’s assuming I live that long- oof” he coughed as Ginny punched him in the gut. “Especially with how often you like to punch me,” he said straightening up.

“Not funny,” Ginny glared at him, her brows creased and he raised a thumb to smooth them out.

“I do think about it sometimes but right now, I’m only fourteen and you’re thirteen. We’re too young to worry about getting older,” Ron said. 

Ginny sighed, relaxing “I guess your right, I just had to ask,” she said and Ron through an arm over her shoulders.

“Right, come in Gin, we’ve got a match to watch. Who are you betting will win?” he asked her. 

“I dunno but I know one thing for sure and it’s that Viktor Krum is going to catch the snitch,” Ginny replied with certainty. Ron nodded.

“Yeah, I think so…” he stopped at the steps as he suddenly got tunnel vision. 

Xxx

_ Harry was running, his green eyes flashing as he turned back and slid down a pile of rocks behind a rock. Ron’s felt like his eyelids were glued open as he watched white-hot fire engulf the rock and past Harry.  _

_ As usual, he could only watch whatever unfolded and though he wanted desperately to interfere. He shook as he heard the sound of a roar so loud and angry there was only one creature who could make such a sound- _

_ Xxx _

_ The scene flashed to someplace else next, a large crowd in front of him. His head hurt with the scents and sound that overwhelmed his senses. Harry was in the center of the crowd. _

_ Harry was screaming but he couldn’t filter out everyone else. Harry was sickly pale and bloody “Harry!” he wanted desperately to call out to him and get to him. But no sound one came out.  _

_ Harry was pulled up and dragged up by a man Ron didn’t recognize; burly and ugly with a strange eye that spun in its socket. Harry’s face was like he’d never seen before, blank and unemotional. He was in shock. _

Xxx

“Ron!” his vision readjusted and he realized where he was. He’d somehow found himself on a set of steps, he blinked a couple of times to shake off the shock he felt. He felt cold even “Ron,” he turned his head to take in Ginny. 

Behind her, his mentor Don Grey stood with Harry and Hermione “I’m awake,” he said. Ginny shook him “I said I’m awake,” he locked his eyes to her and Ginny stopped.

“What was that?” she demanded “it’s like you were in a trance, are you cold?” his whole body kind of trembled a bit like coming down from an adrenaline high. 

“I’m fine,” he said. “It’s… I don’t know,” he said. 

“You don’t know?” Ginny asked. Ron’s mind flicked back to when mentioned something about how many of their vampire monarchs were seers. He’d never had dreams that featured Harry like that but lately all his dreams centered around him. 

“Gin,” Ron turned his tone darker in hopes that it would stop her from pressing. It could two ways honestly since it was his sister, after all, she either would let it go for now or fight him. 

Ginny looked to Harry and Hermione “fine, keep your stupid secrets,” she turned around and stalked up the stairs to the box seat.

“Ginny,” Ron groaned, the last thing he needed was her angry with him. He stood up quickly and his vision turned sideways. Harry grabbed his arm to keep him falling.

“Ron, I think you should maybe sit down for a few minutes,” Harry commented.

“No, I’m okay,” he blinked, “I stood up too fast is all.” 

“Right, you wanna tell us what that was or?” Harry asked expectantly. He rather liked that about Harry, he was pretty frank about everything. He wasn’t the best at subtly, he said what he was thinking. 

“Not really, still trying process it myself,” Ron admitted. “Can we take a rain check?”

Hermione crossed her arms while Harry’s close his eyes for a moment resigning himself. “Fine with us, I suppose,” Hermione said. Then she and Harry dragged up the stairs while Ron considered what he’d seen. 

They met the house-elf named Winky and Ron wondered about her. Why would you not want to be paid for your services? House-elves were quite strange, he thought.

Yet, the view he saw of the Quidditch pitch had the thoughts chasing themselves away. “Wow,” he said, his eyes going wider, “this is brilliant,” he beamed then played with the omnoculars Harry had got for Hermione and him. He tried not to pay attention to how Percy attempted to get the minister’s attention

“Ah Harry Potter,” they all turned to see Fudge, the British Prime minister. Fudge came across to Ron as a suck-up especially as he attempted to introduce Harry to the Bulgarian Prime minister. 

Ron hesitated for a moment “excuse me, do you speak Romanian?” Ron asked Mr. Oblansk. Romania was right next Bulgaria so he thought it was worth a shot.

The man’s brows shot up “I was not aware that I would be sharing a box with the young Prince,” he replied in Romanian bowing. Ron bowed in return.

“Ehm, sorry am I missing something?” Fudge asked looking at Ron with surprise. 

“Ee is ze Crown Prince of Vampires, you deed not know?” Mr. Oblansk asked glancing at Ron. “He will be the twelfth king,” he added, that part was news to Ron. He hadn’t actually been told how many kings and queens there were before him. 

“You speak English? You’ve been letting me mime?” Fudge asked.

“Vel, it was vos funny,” Mr. Oblansk and Ron held in a smile. 

“And- the Prince?” Fudge turned to Ron with wide eyes “I had heard of the incident that turned you into a vampire.”

“So had I” Ron froze as Lucius Malfoy came to stand near Fudge. “It is interesting to hear that you who suffered at the hand of such creatures will come to be their king.” Malfoy senior’s expression was one interest and surprise.

Ron was almost ready to get angry but he suddenly gained clarity. These were the types of people he would have to deal with. “I was turned by a rogue vampire, a sane one would never do what they did. Because I know that and learned the culture I am part of now, I am proud to eventually be their king.” 

“Why wasn’t the ministry informed?” Fudge asked.

“Distance,” Ron replied as rehearsed “the British Ministry has no connection set in place with the Vampire Monarchy. So only those with connections like the Romanian MM, Bulgarian, Japan, and other MM’s who legally acknowledge vampires as a protected part of their ministry will be informed directly,” he said drawing himself up. Keeping his eyes sharp as daggers.

Fudge’s face changed into something nastier “you are a British wizard, it is your duty to make the British MM aware,” 

“According to an outdated British wizarding law, I am a 2nd class citizen. As a vampire, I am apparently of lesser intelligence and therefore my nature makes me incapable of making decisions. So, sorry if nobody felt the need to inform you,” he said. 

Harry was wide-eyed looking at Ron like he’d just detonated one of his brother’s smoke bombs in front of Professor McGonagall. Fudge looked affronted then after a glance at Mr. Oblansk, smoothed his expression into one of good humor. “I can assure no one here is doubting your intelligence, Mr. Weasley- er young master Weasley,” Fudge said after glancing at his father who looked astounded too.

“Not after that impressive display,” Mr. Oblansk commented in Romanian, and Ron’s lips twitched almost into a smirk. 

“But there have been no complaints regarding this law so I’m sure if it is brought to the Wizengamote in an orderly manner, it can be remedied,” Fudge said. No complaints? Or none that were officially documented. 

“I see, so we can fix that soon then? How about next week?” Ron asked. There was no way he was allowing Fudge to evade it when he had a reputation to uphold with all eyes on him. He was a rat in a trap and Ron was the cat. 

Fudge laughed nervously “that’s quite soon-”

“It’s a pressing issue whether you acknowledge it or not, Minister. We can talk about it later but in the meantime, I’m sure you’d like an update about the current Monarchy situation with vampires,”

“Yes, I would,” Fudge said looking exhausted.

“Great, I picked a correspondent that should be easy for you to reach,” Ron said. 

“Oh? And whom would that be?” Fudge asked. 

Ron glanced at Percy who was watching the situation “Percy Weasley,” he said without his mouth really talking to his brain. “He’ll handle press, vampire law, and any conversation involving both parties.”

Percy gaped at him, giving an incredulous expression then schooling himself into a neutral one when everyone turned back to him. He cleared his throat “er, yes, you can bring your questions to me,” he said in that stuffy tone. 

Xxx

The match they witnessed was amazing, it was most incredible display of Quidditch he’d ever seen. “Brilliant, absolutely fantastic. Did you see Krum at the end? Ron asked excitedly as they went inside the boy’s tent.

“Yeah, Ron, we saw,” Harry said. “Looks like people are either going to celebrate or mope. Heard anything from Don?” he asked.

“Not yet-”

“Are you mad?” Percy yelled as soon as the most amazing quidditch match was over and celebrations were going. Everyone was both happy, elated, and totally dazed at what had transpired. Typical of Percy to be more concerned with this than the most amazing Quidditch match of the century. 

“Can you lower your voice just a tad, I promise you I can hear extremely well,” Ron said, wincing at the volume of his older brother’s voice. 

“You just taunted the minister of magic in front of another minister and like a bunch of other very important people” Percy said. 

“Right, it was sort of important that I do that. I wasn’t exactly planning on it at first but there was the opportunity so I sort of went for it,” Ron said. 

Percy groaned “why?” he asked. 

“Well… it’s sort of obvious, isn’t it?” Hermione’s voice carried into the part of the tent, Harry followed. 

“Er, no,” Harry answered, “not really, sorry.”

“Well, all politicians are good a deflecting but Ron putting him into a corner like that without a way to escape is a good way to hold him accountable,” Hermione explained. 

“I figured if I pressed him like he wouldn’t be able to say no without looking bad,” Ron confirmed. 

“You could have gotten me fired, actually after this I’ll never get a job under the minister,” Percy groaned putting his head in his hands. 

“But if Ron has you as a correspondent, won’t that mean you’re sort of on equal footing? He’s technically deferring to you for advice about vampires and stuff,” Harry said. 

Percy paused and looked up, he looked to Ron “wait a minute, maybe you are right. There’s just one issue.”

“Yeah?” Ron asked perked.

“Yes! I don’t anything about vampires or their laws or how their government works!” Percy shouted, once again he was in panic mode. Ron winced again for his poor ears.

“Don’t worry so much, I’ll talk to Don about it. He’ll give you all the books and knowledge you’ll need. I’m learning it now too but I’m sure you’ll have it down within a few weeks,” Ron said. 

“And what if I don’t want to be your correspondent?” Percy asked. 

“That doesn’t matter,” Ron said. 

“Why not?” 

“Because you do want to be so it’s pointless to theorize,” Ron replied. Percy crossed his arms “I can tell when your lying Percy and you can’t pass up this kind of opportunity. You can make a name for yourself in wizarding politics this way,” he said. 

“Even if it is beneficial, I don’t like that you didn’t give me an opportunity to choose” Percy said. 

Ron paused “I’m sorry, really, you were just the first person I thought of,” he said. 

Percy deflated, his shoulders loosening a bit “I won’t do it for free,” he said. 

“It’s a job, of course not,” Ron said, realizing maybe for the first time ever that he had money to pay someone. 

“And you have to provide me with all the materials,” Percy said. 

“I’m sure Don will pay for a portkey to bring you to the castle for your research,” Ron said.

“You’ve gotten too clever, Ron, I can’t believe you just cornered the minister like that,” Percy said. 

“So do we have a deal?” Ron perked up glancing at Harry and Hermione.

“Like you said, I couldn’t turn down this opportunity,” Percy ruffled his hair that began to walk out of the tent. 

“Er where are you going?” Ron asked. 

Percy glanced back “going to find Oliver.”

“Oliver Wood?” Harry asked. 

“Who else? I need to congratulate him on getting signed to Puddlemere,” Percy said. Ron remembered then that when they went to get water for the tap, Wood had mentioned that.

“He told you?” Ron asked. 

“Yes,” Percy said giving them a strange look “why shouldn’t he?”

The three of them shared a confused look. Since when was Percy friends with Oliver? Actually, Ron wasn’t all that aware of the people in Percy’s friend circle. Besides Penelope Clearwater, Percy’s girlfriend. Were they still dating actually?

“Percy,” Oliver appeared in the doorway and to their astonishment, wrapped his arms around Percy to very low on his waist. It was quite suggestive actually. 

“Watch it, my brother and his friends are watching,” Percy fixed Oliver’s hands higher. 

Oliver’s head turned to them “oh, hi Ron, Harry, Hermione. You don’t mind if I borrow him, do you?”

They all shook their heads, dumbfounded and Oliver guided Percy away, their faces very close to each other. “Did I just see that?” Ron asked the two. 

“I saw it, I just can’t believe it? Your brother and my old Quidditch captain?” Harry said, completely sympathetic. 

“I thought your brother was dating Penelope Clearwater?” Hermione asked. 

“Same, they must have broke up though, a while ago I guess,” Ron felt like his eyelids were glued open. “I didn’t know Percy liked men so that’s a surprise,” he said quietly.

“Right,” Harry said.

Their silent surprise was interrupted by something white and furry showing up very suddenly in Ron’s peripheral visions. “Freya?” he said aloud as he found himself nearly bowled over by the magnum wolf. 

Freya wound around him excitedly “Valkyrie is going to get this big?” Hermione asked. As if on cue Valkyrie, Ron’s own magnum wolf with black and white coloring bounded to him. Having left her at the Burrow, he was even more shocked to find her here. 

“I knew they’d be able to find you in this mess,” a familiar voice drifted in. 

“Sol,” Harry said. Sol was dressed in slim-fitting jeans and a hoodie. He actually looked muggle unlike most wizards and witches around. He’d also cut his hair shorter from the last time Ron had seen him a few weeks ago. It was now cut just above his chin. 

“How are you? Enjoy the match?” Sol asked. 

“Yeah, it was great. So where have you been?” Ron asked. “I mean besides stopping by the burrow to get this one,” he added patting Valkyrie.

“Oh, here and there. Japan for one,” Sol said. 

“What were you doing there?” Hermione asked curiously, right she’d never met the Japanese Prime Minister like Ron had. 

“Visiting some contacts and allies, I guess. Father wants Ron to visit Japan too at some point,” Sol replied. They didn’t entirely surprise Ron but Don hadn’t actually mentioned sending him there. “There’s a large respectable vampire population there.”

“Really? I wonder why,” Harry said. 

“Politics and war, the reason for any surge or deficit in population,” Sol replied with a secretive smile. “As fun as this conversation would be, I wanted to bring you somewhere. Of course, Harry and Hermione are welcome too. Just be prepared to be surrounded by vampires.”

The three of them shared a look for what felt like the third time today. 

Xxx

After mentioning to his dad that they were going with Sol, the three of them followed Sol through crowds of celebrating people. They filled Sol in on some of what had transpired like Ron appointing Percy as a correspondent. 

“If you think he’d be a good choice then I trust him too,” Sol said. 

“He will be, he’s bit of a stick in the mud about procedures,”

“He wasn’t a few minutes ago, though,” Hermione said with a smile. 

“What do you mean?” Sol asked and Hermione giggled then explained what they saw. Sol grinned saying he knew he felt something from Percy.

“So, um, where are we going?” Harry asked as Sol led him to an area that seemed a little further removed from the cluster of tents they’d seen earlier. 

“You’ve only been exposed to vampires who have to be proper and all the stuff me and Ron have to be. But not all vampires are like that obviously, so we’re going to party crash,” Sol said then gestured to tent further away that was much bigger than other ones they had seen. 

Once they were a couple feet from the door, Sol turned to them “I nearly forgot,” he pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket. Sol stepped toward Harry and peeled off a sticker. He pressed it to Harry’s cheek so now there a golden heart on his face.

“Er?” Harry’s eyes widned.

“It’s so vampires know not to ask if you want to donate,” Sol explained then peeled off another sticker and pressed it onto Hermione cheek too. “They should stay on a few hours.”

Sol then turned to Ron “I don’t need a sticker,” Ron said warily. 

“No, but I’ve got to do something about those eyes, they’re a dead give away,” Sol said taking out his wand “you can’t go in looking like the crown prince, it’ll make things super awkward.” Sol cast some of charm that made Ron rub his eyes as they tickled. “There, better,” Sol said. 

Ron blinked a few times “what did you do?” 

Sol held out a compact mirror and Ron was aghast, he was looking at his eye color he’d held for 13 years before he was bitten. “Ron, you look like-” Hermione gasped. 

“Yeah,” he breathed, “but I still don’t look human, do I?” he knew very well his ears, the way his eyes seemed lit from the inside furnaces despite being a different color told him he would never look human again. 

Sol led them inside which was predictably larger inside after telling Valkyrie and Freya to stay. Once inside there was music playing loud, a dance floor where people dance, and another spot where a crowd gathered around a ring. They watched two men spar against each other.

A bar was set up too with blood on the menu but also alcohol. There seemed to vampires of a lot of ages but also some human wizards too. “Pretty rowdy, huh? I didn’t want you thinking that all vampires were stick in the muds. So this is more of what we do to have fun,” Sol said, he had put on a ball cap to hide his face.

“What’s going on over there?” Harry mentioned gesturing to the crowd of people Ron noticed earlier. 

“Sparring, it’s an ancient past time that never really went out of style. Why would it? We have this amazing strength and speed, it would be stupid not to use for a little fun,” Sol said. 

“I guess,” Ron replied, he’d sparred with Don and Sol. He wouldn’t call it fun since most of the time he had to dodge and there was a larger margin of him getting slammed than him doing the slamming. 

“So, you ready to try it?” Sol asked. 

“What?” Ron jerked his head to Sol “you just changed my eye color not to give me away. What makes you think being in the middle of ring would help the situation?”

“Not many have seen you close up. It’s good to fight someone other than me and my Papi. Different styles of fighting since you do have to fight in front of the council,” Sol whinged on. 

“This doesn’t sound like a good idea,” Hermione hemmed. 

“Don’t worry, it’s unlikely that Ron will get hurt enough that he’d need anything besides his own healing to fix,”

“Unlikely,” Harry repeated warily.

Xxx

Hermione didn’t like this plan, not at all. Ron had filled out, of course, but it wasn’t as if his naturally lithe form had gone away. Looking at several other vampires around the room made her nervous because she’d noticed, other vampires came in all shapes just like wizards did. 

There were some very large and buff ones too. How could Ron take those much bigger men down? She bit her lip as she watched Ron go with Sol to sign up for a match. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” she asked Harry.

“I dunno, can Ron even fight?” Harry asked and her heart plummeted. She wasn’t sure what exactly Ron did when training with Don. He wasn’t secretive about it but he also wasn’t forthcoming. She should have asked more about it. 

The match currently in the middle of the ring ended with one of the men’s quick strike to his opponent’s jaw. Several onlookers groaned “there goes my money for the day,” he sighed. 

Hermione struggled to see the front and was suddenly bumped into by a very tall man. She nearly went down, toppling Harry with her “Whoops, sorry love,” the man quickly righted her. “You both alright? I can be clumsy in crowds.”

“We’re fine,” Harry replied.

“Sure? She looks nervous,” the man glanced at Hermione. The man had short auburn hair and open features. He was quite burly but had a kind face, his eyes were a bright yellow.

“Er, yes, my friend is going to spar,” Hermione mentioned.

“Ah, I wondered if you were nervous about being around a bunch of vampires. Wouldn’t be the first one. I’m Lester, by the way,” he added.

“It’s not our first time, we’ve been to Nacht Castle,” Harry replied. 

“Really? You must know someone in the council then?” Lester suggested. 

“Um, sort of,” Hermione agreed then turned when cheers began as a new match resumed. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized a vampire with her hair in a high ponytail. She wore shorts, a sweater, and a pair of boots. 

“That’s Hattie,” Harry said. She’d last seen the vampire in the chaos of what went on at Nacht Castle. She hadn’t changed at all, she still looked about eighteen years old. 

“Know her, then?” Lester asked.

“A bit,” they responded and watched as Hattie strode into the ring and watched her opponent, a rather buff vampire step into the ring.

“That’s her opponent?” Hermione fretted, the size difference was disconcerting. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about the size discrepancy,” Lester said, “I’m betting on the girl.”

“Why do you say that?” Harry wondered.

“Call it a hunch, she’s got grace and intensity. Some have it, some don’t. You saw it without them lifting a finger. Like, oh, him,” Lester looked across the ring to vampires waiting to spar. Harry and her were startled to find he was pointing at Ron. In this distance, Ron’s eyes lit up in the low lighting, electric blue. 

She was occasionally struck with an outsiders perspective. “That’s our friend,” Harry said. 

“Ah, I see, so was I right? Is he strong?” Lester wondered. 

“We’ve never seen him fight,” Harry said, “but I guess it doesn’t matter, we’re behind him.” Hermione’s heart surged up and she realized Harry was right. She had to have faith in Ron, he’d be fine. 

She faced forward and was surprised when Hattie kicked her opponent hard in the stomach. The man bent over in pain and she used that split second to switch footing and swing her leg down like a hammer. The man hit the ground and the crowd cheered. 

“What’d I say,” Lester said then clapped. Hermione realized then that physical power didn’t seem to matter to Hattie. Maybe it wouldn’t matter to Ron either, if he was fast then his opponent wouldn’t be able to touch him. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

“Are you actually nervous?” Sol asked as if Ron had no reason to be. 

“I’ve never had a real fight and most of me learning from Don is learning to dodge,” Ron told him, his hands formed fists. 

“Trust me, you’ll be fine, you’re like a natural,” Sol said and Ron sent him an incredulous look. “No, you really are. You’re athletic, flexible, and now you’ve got strength. You’ll win this in no time.”

Ron swallowed, feeling like Sol was just trying to boost his ego “it’s my turn?” he asked. Sol nodded then gave him a little shove forward and he stepped into the center. In the center, it’s like the energy from the crowd overtook him. 

Instantly, his nerves were alive and like fire, energy zipped through his veins. His ears roared with the blood rush from the sensory input and he loved it. He realized quickly why vampires were so excited to step into the ring. It was like a sugar rush.

Ron’s lips quirked and he let himself grin “this your first time in a ring, kid?” his opponent was more muscular than Ron and a little taller.

“Yes,” Ron replied. 

“Got it, a good match and all that,” the man said then got into a fighting stance. 

Ron widened his footing and waited as Don had told him what to do in a real fight every time he sparred. “You’ve got good reflexes and we’ve just made them stronger. It may be best when your opponent attacks first. Be patient but don’t be concerned, let them internally panic.”

Ron watched the man as he tried to consider if Ron planned to attack first or let him make the first move. “Most people will lose out in patience when under pressure. Especially when they’re being watched by a crowd. Don’t let them pressure you,” Don’s voice entered his mind. 

Ron’s nerves were on fire but his head felt as cool and crisp as the winter weather in Romania. It didn’t seem long until his opponent dashed forward with a swift, hard punch. Ron shifted sideways so the man’s arm was extended in front of him. 

Ron grabbed his arm and hooked his leg to get the man off balance to give him enough leverage to throw them over his shoulder. With a smack to the floor, his opponent was down but Ron stepped back after sensing he would get back up. 

The man did get back up and quickly, despite looking like Ron’s throw did hurt. “Didn’t expect a judo throw from you, kid,” the man said, clearing his throat. 

Ron only blinked, he didn’t really know what that was. He was only taught things by Sol and Don, he didn’t know what they were called. The man charged ahead once again but this time, he didn’t let up on the number of strikes. 

Ron only had time to dodge for a bit until he caught onto the pattern of his punches. He ducked to the ground and immediately hooked his opponent’s legs out from underneath him. The man went down onto his back but immediately grappled for Ron’s shirt to keep control. 

Ron moved without thinking and placed a hand on the man’s and then to the forearm, nearest his elbow. He forced the man’s arm in the opposite direction and immediately heard the bone creak. The grip loosened on his shirt and Ron let go. 

“If your opponent keeps getting back up even after multiple takedowns, it’s fine to use a little force. You’re smart, Ron, just use your head.” Don’s advice always seemed to come back to him when he needed it. He figured it was a product of being with him so much.

As the man got up, Ron was thinking that he should end the match before he slipped up and made a mistake he couldn’t recover from. Since he’d been defending awhile, maybe his opponent wouldn’t expect him to attack out of the blue. 

Xxx

“Your friend is good,” Lester admitted to Harry and Hermione who were watching intently. “His opponent is pretty good too but your friend was in control of this match from the beginning.”

“What was it that the man said earlier?” Harry asked. 

“Judo? Looks like your friend’s a bit of an MMA specialist or has learned from people who are,” Lester said.  
“MMA? That’s Mix Martial Arts right?” Hermione clarified because Hermione would know a bit about everything. 

“Right, in muggle media, MMA is like a sport and there are rules. Here, there are no rules because it’s pretty difficult to kill a vampire in a regular fight. You’d need a weapon, a wand, or a special potion,” Lester said. 

“Oh,” Harry said then watched as Ron sped forward, fist up in front of threw two punches and his opponent was down. “What happened?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. It was too fast to see. 

“Your friend just ended the match,” Lester said with a grin “Wow, incredible. He threw a faint first and then punched for real, clipping the guy on the chin. No, he’s not getting back up,” Lester cheered with the rest of the crowd. 

“Harry, look,” Hermione gestured to Ron and for a second, Harry didn’t get it but one look at Ron’s eyes gave it away. His eyes were no longer charmed blue but the gold and silver they’d grown used to.

The crowd fell silent in their surprise but Ron didn’t realize anything was different. He bent to offer a hand to his opponent he’d knocked down. The man took his hand with wide eyes.

“Ron, your cover is um, blown,” Harry called to him. 

“My- oh!” Ron nearly covered his eyes but probably figured it was a lost cause. 

“Well, um that was an excellent match,” Sol vaulted over the rings line, he took off his hat. “Honestly, we’re just here for some fun just like everyone here. So, uh, as you were,” Sol dragged Ron out of the ring. 

Harry lost sight of them both and he turned “c’mon, Hermione.”

“Wait,” Lester, the man they’d watched the matches with stopped them. “Your friend, is he really the Crown Prince?” 

“Er, yes,” Hermione said.

“Then could I speak to him? It’s really important, I swear,” Lester said, his eyes a bit wider and pupils thin with desperation. Harry glanced at Hermione. 

“I guess so, yeah,” Harry said.

Xxx

Outside the tent, they met their wolves who stood immediately to greet them. “That was fun,” Ron admitted and Sol laughed.

“That was kind of hilarious, as soon as your eyes turned heterochromatic the guy you wiped the floor with looked like he was gonna cry,” Sol cackled, wiping tears from his eyes. “Well, I suppose we should probably meet with my father eventually.”

“Wait for a second,” Ron said.

“I wasn’t gonna leave them,” Sol said, “but I wonder what’s taking them.” The reason was that a very tall man was with both of them, honestly, the height difference was pretty comical. Like a slightly younger, better groomed Hagrid. 

“Ron, this is Lester, he said he had to speak to you,” Harry said.

He glanced up slightly to the man who bowed, looking uncertain “sorry, I don’t really know much about how greeting royalty works.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Ron replied “you’re British?” he asked. 

“Yes?” Lester replied. 

“Sorry, it’s just I haven’t met very many British vampires yet. You needed to talk with me, specifically?” Ron said. When becoming a vampire, a mentor is chosen and the mentor then asks if that vampire wants to become allied with the Romanian Vampire Monarchy. 

“Well,” Lester flushed “I wasn’t expecting to meet someone of your caliber really, I was just hoping to run into someone who’s like a vampire delegate or something. It’s probably really not your paygrade.”

Ron glanced at Sol who said nothing “doesn’t matter if I can help, I will,” Ron replied. 

“Okay…” Lester said, swallowing nervously. Ron thought it was bizarre that someone was so nervous in his presence. 

“Listen, just pretend I’m not anyone important,” Ron said.

“Right,” Lester nodded “well, I’m having trouble finding a job within the ministry because of the ministry classification of vampires. I’m nearly considering going to Romania or somewhere else that excepts vampires in their ministry. But my girlfriend is a witch here so I don’t want to just leave,” Lester said. 

“I’m working on that. You don’t have to justify you wanting to stay in the country you were born in, you know. Anyway, are you good with a quill?”

“Er yes,” Lester said. 

“Then how about you work for my brother, the new British MM Correspondent with Vampires. He’ll need a partner I bet. He’s got the British Ministry down pat and you’ve got vampire knowledge. How’s that?” Ron asked. 

Lester’s eyes went wide “really?” he asked. 

“Sure, Percy’s an acquired taste sometimes but once you’ve figured him out, he’s a quick study,” Ron replied. “It’s Percy Weasley, send him the owl and he’ll respond with what he’ll need.”

“Thank you,” Lester said at a loss and Ron smiled. 

“No, thank you.”

Xxx

“So we going to find Don then?” Ron asked. 

“Yes, let’s go then,” Sol agreed.

“Hang on, Ron,” Hermione said and they paused, she looked worn out. Had they been walking a bit fast? “It’s almost 11:30,” she said and Harry glanced at his watch while Ron only blinked. 

“Oh, you're probably tired then,” Ron said.

“Yes, it’s been a great, interesting day but I’m exhausted. What about you, Harry?” Hermione asked. 

“I could sleep,” Harry agreed.

“We’ll walk you to your tent then,” Sol said and they all walked to the tent. 

“Hang on,” Ron said after he said goodnight to Hermione, he followed Harry in and spotted Percy blissfully talking to Oliver in a more pg way than earlier. “Percy,” he said. 

Percy turned and scanned him “you look a little rough.”

Ron’s clothes did look a bit wrinkled from the fight earlier “nevermind that, can you come with me to meet Donovan Grey?” he asked. 

“It’s a bit late,” Percy said.

“Not for us,” Sol supplied. 

“Hello, Sol. I guess I can for a bit, give me a second,” Ron backed off and sent Oliver a meaningful glance. The nervousness on the man’s face made it clear that his message of warning was delivered. 

“Aren’t you going to ask?” Ron asked Sol. 

“No, I can be patient,” Sol replied. 

“Since when?” Ron asked and Sol smacked his arm. Percy grabbed a notebook and kissed Oliver a good night then they followed Sol to Don’s tent. 

“Aren’t they a bit conspicuous?” Percy asked Sol, glancing at their canine companions. 

“A bit, I guess but they’re common enough for most vampires. It’s just that most aren’t purebred Magnum wolves,” Sol replied “plus, a guard is a good idea. Congrats on the new boy,” he added. Percy flushed high in his cheeks and ears. 

Ron decided it was an excellent idea to stay quiet. They made their way into a muggle tent with a red exterior but the interior was quite extensive. Ron had trouble paying any attention to Don sitting on some velvety cushions with the hanging drapery, lavish beds, and other fantastic imagery. It reminded him that he should buy a new tent for his family to stay in for next time. Something nicer than the rather old, out of style one they had earlier.

“I see you like our tent? I figured we’d go with a Persian theme as a nod to the original Vampires,” Don said. 

“It’s incredible,” Ron admitted.

“Hungry?” Don asked. 

“Starved,” Ron agreed and a few drapes were moved and he spotted Hattie once again and Zoey was beside her. “Hey, I saw your fight,” he said. 

Hattie smiled “you did, sorry I didn’t stick around but I figured I’d meet you here,” she said in Romanian. “Did you win in your own match?” she asked. 

“Yes, he did,” Sol cut in “English, please, with our guest,” he gestured to Percy. 

“Oh, yes,” Hattie bowed to Ron, Zoey followed suit. Ron nodded his head. 

“Did you have a preference for the taste, you highness?” Zoey asked, her face much serious than her sister.

“Hm, not really surprise me, oh but do get some tea too and a box of sweets for Mr. Percy Weasley here,” Don replied. 

“Yes, your highness,” the girls both turned to go get the items.

“I assume you prefer Percy?” Don asked him. 

Percy glanced at Ron “that’d be preferable with Ron here too,”

“Certainly, is Percy short for Perseus or Percival?” Don asked, crossing his leg. 

“Percival,” Percy replied, holding his head up high, he was too stiff. 

“A knight then, so what can I do for you then? I assume you are here for something?” Don said. 

“It’s more what Percy can do for us,” Ron supplied, “I asked him to be the correspondent between Britain and us.”

Don sat back with a raised brow “really?”

“I cornered Fudge today about the citizenship status of vampires and sort pressured him a bit. He wasn’t happy to know that I became Prince in line for the throne and he didn’t know about it,” Ron replied. 

“I think it was more than many of the other ministers knew as well, it made him look stupid. You really played him like a puppet, Ron,” Percy said. 

“Nah, I just learned manipulation from the best,” Ron replied glancing at Sol who gave a dubious glance. 

“Is that a compliment? Or should I be insulted?” Sol asked and Ron gave him a smile. 

Don cleared his throat and they faced him once again “that’s excellent work, Ron. If you are certain he is up to the task then I’ll trust your judgment,” he said looking at Percy. 

“I am up the task however I have a few requirements,” Percy said taking out a book from his pocket and a self-inking quill. He tore off a page and handed it to Don who took it. He raised an eyebrow “this is what I’ll need in order to do this right and competently.”

Don looked the list over “I’ll forward your list and get it approved with a budget. Don’t worry, we don’t cut corners. As much as I do trust Ron’s judgment of your skills, I do need extra representation.”

“Meaning?” Percy asked.

“Can you imagine a bunch of wizards discussing what’s best for centaurs without one present?” Don asked. 

“Yes, it’s what they do currently,” Percy said with a look of distaste.

“Ah, well you see my point then. I would like a vampire assistant, it will also allow you a reference to our culture,” Don said. 

“Actually, I already have that covered,” Ron said. “I met a British vampire who was struggling with work, I’m not certain about his skills or anything but Percy can train him.”

“Ah, settled then,” Don said, “now about the stipend, if I may?” Don held out a hand to Percy’s journal. Percy handed it over and Don quickly wrote. “How’s that for a paycheck each month?”

Percy’s eyes went wide and Ron looked over his shoulder, it was a pretty substantial amount. “More than acceptable,” Percy responded with. 

Don smiled and sat back, Zoey and Hattie came back in trays of tea, biscuits, and wine glasses filled up with blood. “Thank you, ladies,” he said as they set the trays down and poured tea. 

“So, are you only here for the match?” Ron asked. 

“Sort of, I was also speaking with various Ministers and others. I am setting up your public reveal so it will not be through that ridiculous excuse you call a newspaper. Rita Skeeter only documents things she deems interesting and twists them,”

“Then how is this going to be spread?” Ron asked curiously. 

“A wizarding magazine titled Of Importance, the only catch with this is that you’ll have to have a more formal photo shoot and interview with them. I’m not really concerned with the number of people who are currently subscribed to it. If people hear of a vampire prince in England, they will find it, the magazine is quite pleased to have you,” Don said. 

“The best part is that we get to be your stylists, Ron,” Hattie added. 

“You don’t have to bathe me too, right? Last time, you almost took the skin off,” Ron said. Percy raised both eyebrows as a response to that. “It’s not like that, Percy, it’s ceremonial when you wear the whole Prince getup.”

Zoey scoffed “that get up is nearly a hundred years old, you should be happy to wear it no matter what you have to do. It’s incredibly difficult to keep those garments nice, you know,” she said.

“Alright, I get it already,” Ron sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, I didn't get to put in much of Hattie this chapter but not to worry, she'll show up again later along with Zoey too. The next chapter is really when we get to the whole dark mark fiasco. Excited to put it down soon because some things go the same and some a little different.
> 
> Also, Lester will have more of an appearance later on. I'm so excited to start with the Hogwarts school year, I've got so many fun ideas and everything!
> 
> Please! Please leave a review.


	5. Chaos at the Cup

After an hour or so of talking with Percy, his brother was tired so he went back to the tent, Don instructed Hattie to go with him as an escort. Ron relaxed against the cushion for a while and played some chess with his mentor. He didn’t know what time it was but he was hardly tired after the burst of energy that a glass of blood gave him. 

He just remembered that as was about to topple Don’s knight, a strange hush interrupted the steady sounds of people celebrating the match or their winnings from a bet. His ears picked up the sound of Valkyrie and Freya growling low. 

He locked eyes with Don who nodded, they both stood. Zoey and Sol also stood from their place at a table “hear that?” he asked, it was a low-frequency sound then banging sounds. 

They all ran for the flaps of the tent to look outside, Ron nearly jumped at the sound of screaming. They all stared as hooded figures on broomsticks cast disrupting sounds and levitated people above the ground. 

Ron’s heart dropped and suddenly, he desperately had to know where Hermione and Harry were. “I’ve got to go,” he said to Don who grabbed his arm before he could bolt. 

“Take Valkyrie, the woods are where they’re likely to go. Don’t worry about the muggles, I’m sure we'll figure this out and it goes without saying to avoid those men in hoods,” Don said.

“What are you going to do?” Ron asked. 

“I suppose I’ll see if there’s anything I can assist with,” Don said. “Sol and Zoey can assist me. Go find your friends,”

“Okay,” Ron said “Valkyrie, find Harry,” he commanded her. Wherever Harry was, Hermione wouldn’t be far behind. Valkyrie lifted her nose into the air to get a scent and stopped. She bolted in a direction, he ran after her.

He ran through crowds of people, some standing in terror and others moving in the same direction he was. Ron halted and Valkyrie stopped too when he spotted his oldest brother. Bill had his wand out against a figure in a room, his arm was dripping with blood.  
Without thinking, Ron took out his whip and immediately swung it at the figure. It cracked hard toppling the figure but they disapparated leaving their broom behind. 

“Bill!” he called out, “are you okay?” he asked ignoring the wizard who had disappeared.

Bill turned “Ron? Oh thank Merlin,” he asked gripping his shoulders. “I’ll be fine but what about you?”

“Fine, where are Harry and Hermione?” Ron asked. 

“We sent all the younger ones into the woods, they should be with Ginny and twins,” Bill replied. 

“Then I’ll go find them,” Ron said. 

“Be careful!” Bill said as he bolted in the direction Bill pointed to and Valkyrie kept pace with the whole time. Even in pitch darkness, his vision hadn’t been lost one bit. As he entered the woods, even though his ears were filled with hundreds of voices, screams, and other sounds he picked up one voice. 

“Hermione,” he muttered, he could never mistake her voice. All nasally and huffy when she knew something nobody else did. He ran towards the direction he heard her, he heard another voice as he closed in too. Draco Malfoy’s. 

He glared when he spotted the silvery hair a few hundred feet away and Valkyrie’s hackles raised as a response to his annoyance. “If you think they can’t spot a mu- you know what, stay where you are,” Malfoy finished his sentence. That was odd, he’d never pulled verbal punches like that before.

“If you’d like a bite of your ass, stay where you are,” Ron said clearly when he got within a solid distance, all three of them jumped. 

“Where did you come from, Weasley?” Draco spat then swallowed at Valkyrie’s behavior. 

“Across camp to find my friends, I didn’t expect to meet you,” Ron replied coolly then stroked Valkyrie who calmed a bit and approached Harry. She nudged his hand and he patted her and she looked to Ron like she was pleased with herself.

“I was just telling your friends here that they really ought to get away from this spot unless they’d like to find themselves fifty feet up in the air,” Malfoy said pompously, still eying Ron’s wolf.

Ron acted like he hadn’t heard him and took Harry and Hermione’s arms. He led them deeper into the woods, feeling much better now that he’d found them. “Watch your step, Harry, there’s a tree root,” he mentioned. 

“Oi, Weasley,” Malfoy outraged “did you just ignore me?”

“Where are Ginny and twins?” Ron asked. 

“We lost them in the crowd but they were going this direction,” Hermione supplied. 

“Right, the twins should keep Ginny safe then,” Ron said.

“Ron, do you realize that Malfoy is still following us?” Harry whispered. 

“Yes, I’m aware, just ignore him and maybe he’ll lose interest,” Ron replied as they approached an area of the woods that had more teenagers and other people around. A group of students huddled around were talking to each other. A girl stepped to Ron. 

“Ou est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue” the girl asked. 

Ron tilted his head and shook his head “qui est-ce?” he replied.

The girl flushed “oh! Perdone. You must go to Hogwarts then? Or perhaps Durmstrang,” she said sticking to French then looking to her other classmates.

“You were right the first time, I’m a fourth-year student at Hogwarts,” he replied. 

“And yet your French is impeccable, tre magnifique!” she said. 

“Merci. Unfortunately, I don’t know where your Madam Maxime went. Could you help me, have you seen anyone else with red hair like mine go by anywhere?” he asked gesturing to his locks. 

“Hm,” she considered then looked to her classmates “has anyone?” she asked. 

“I have,” one boy said “oui, a pretty younger girl and two tall boys? I didn’t see where they went but they should be here somewhere,” the boy said. 

“I see, thank you then,” Ron said waving and walking a few steps to Harry and Hermione.

“You speak French, Weasley?” Malfoy asked and he was little disappointed that the teenager hadn’t excused himself from following them around. 

“I was speaking it so all clues point to yes,” Ron drawled out, mimicking Malfoy irritating voice when he wanted to be impressive. “Does that also offend you? Are you going to tell your father about that too?”

Malfoy flushed in response and suddenly realized he was not backed up by a posse. He opened his mouth when Harry gasped, Ron turned to him “oh, I don’t believe it,” Harry was digging in his pockets. 

“What’s wrong?” Ron asked.

“I’ve lost my wand,” Harry said.

“You’re kidding,” Hermione said, Ron looked around on the ground.

“I didn’t realize you were so forgetful, Potter,” Malfoy said but didn’t sound so rehearsed, just sounded dumbstruck. 

“You be quiet, Malfoy,” Ron replied and then suddenly there was Winky the house who appeared terrified, explained herself, then disappeared. “That was odd,”

“She probably wasn’t given permission to hide,” Harry said. 

“If that’s the case, she’ll probably get into trouble with her master,” Malfoy mentioned. “And I’m not following you, I’m just going this direction!” he said. 

“That’s just awful,” Hermione went into a tangent about Winkey, Ron couldn’t really focus on making a reply so Harry just sort of nodded. They eventually came to a clearing with veela around it then several onlookers who were attempting to impress them. 

“I’m a dragon killer, for the commity for the disposal of dangerous creatures,” one said. 

“No, your not, you’re a dishwasher at the leaky cauldron. I’m a vampire hunter, I’ve killed about ninety so far” another said. Ron scoffed loudly at that one as led them away from the veela before Harry would be affected.

“If someone like that was able to kill us, maybe it’s a good thing they died being so pathetic,” Ron said. 

“I can’t believe they’d say something like that,” Hermione said.

“Maybe it comes as a shock to you, Granger, but vampires used to be hunted publicly,” Malfoy said, he still hadn’t left. “That’s why there are laws against citizenship with the British Ministry,”

“Outdated laws on the assumptions that vampires have no control over their ability. We may be associated with werewolves but we aren’t like them, ours is not a curse,” Ron said. 

“Well, Weasley-” Malfoy opened his mouth to retort when Harry shushed them. He looked to where Harry was watching and saw a figure he couldn’t make out even with his night vision. 

The man held a wand to the sky and cast an incantation that nearly blinded Ron with the green light. “We need to move,” Hermione said.

“Why?” Harry asked and Hermione tugged Harry and Ron understand immediately. Even Malfoy had lost the typical cocky air to him and followed as Hermione frantically told Harry about The Dark Mark.

They all walked across a clear to get away from the area when a group of wizards pointed their wands at all of them. “Duck!” Harry said pulling on Ron and Hermione, Malfoy hit the deck as well. The stupefy curse nearly missed them.

“Stop! That’s my son!” Ron raised his head as he spotted his dad rushing toward them, asking if they were okay.

Barty Crouch approached them angrily and spat out “which one of you did it?” he demanded. “Which one of you conjured the dark mark?” he asked. 

“Are you mental?” Malfoy asked and for once Ron wholeheartedly agreed with him. 

“We haven’t done anything,” Harry said. 

“Don’t lie, you’ve been discovered at the scene of the crime,” 

“Barty, these are kids,” a witch in a woolen dressing gown said.

“We saw someone cast an incantation.” Hermione said “over there,”

Barty Crouch sounded ridiculous and as Amos Diggory showed up then discovered Winky, it got even worse as Harry’s wand was discovered with Winky, the house-elf. 

“Is this a confession then?” Diggory said in an excited attempt to pin it on Harry. 

“You must be joking!” Malfoy said “a ministry personnel can’t be this much of an idiot, can they?”

“You listen when adults are talking,” Diggory warned him and Malfoy gave him a pompous look that for once, Ron was secretly living for it. 

“Is Harry Potter likely to cast the mark for you know who?” Ron asked, looking down at the man, he was quite a bit taller than him.

“Then how about you?” Diggory asked “vampires are dark magical creatures, it stands to reason they would stand with a dark lord.”

“You go too far,” Dad was livid. But Ron was icily calm. 

“Now I understand the sort of people in regulation offices if that’s how you feel. So let me tell you in no uncertain terms that none of the four of us did anything,” Ron’s eyes glared bright. 

That quelled the accusations a bit and Hermione mentioned that the voice they heard was not in fact Winky’s. “As if a house-elf could’ve even cast something like that is honestly ridiculous,” even Malfoy said, bored.

The adults then began talking and they were subject to watch and discuss things among themselves. “Because a house-elf is somehow inferior?” Hermione asked with a harumph at Malfoy’s comment.

“Because house-elf magic is specific to relocating things and disapparate. It would be incredibly difficult for a house-elf to just pick up a wizards wand and pull off a spell from hearsay,” Draco explained. 

“You mean house-elf magic is different from wizard magic?” Hermione asked, wide-eyed and curious now. 

Malfoy scoffed “and I thought you were the know it all, Granger, you don’t even know that? Vampire magic is different too, you surely know that.”

Ron and Harry were subject to watch their argument like a tennis match. Hermione flushed “of course I do because I’ve done the research, how am I supposed to just automatically know about house elves?” she asked, she was quite angry now. 

“Exactly, you don’t know about what purebloods know because we’re different,” Malfoy said, angry for some reason Ron couldn’t put his finger on. Ron opened to his mouth to break them up but Hermione was livid, she hated not knowing something but she especially hated when someone acted like she was stupid. She drew herself as high up on feet as she could, shoulders back and eyes glaring.

“Oh and what’s so different? What’s so much better about you that I could never measure up to? I’m better than you at potions and arithmancy and transfiguration! You don’t really care about grades though, do you?” she said, her hair seeming bushier than ever. 

Some of the adults glanced over at the quarrel “what’s that supposed to mean, Granger?” Malfoy had lost his air of superiority and smugness and everything Malfoy-like. He was just angry and his hair was a mess. Ron realized then that he was seeing the genuine person this time.

“You just try to be the best so you can be superior to everyone else,” Hermione said, “that’s why you’re always bugging me and Harry and Ron because you have to be better than us. But you’re not in Quidditch, or school, or wit so you have to be superior in blood!” she was huffing now like she’d been keeping that inside for a long time. 

Draco Malfoy shoulders were shaking with anger “right! My blood because that’s the only way that I can be good enough!” his voice broke and he stared at the ground like he was shocked it had even come out of his mouth.

Ron could hardly believe his ears, Malfoy had everything. Nice clothes, an expensive house, and extremely respected parents. He felt that he wasn’t good enough? The boy turned away from Hermione and strode towards a clearing.

“Draco,” Dad called out “you must stay close.” He followed him across.

“I’m leaving,” he replied, Dad grabbed Malfoy’s arm.

“I’m afraid I cannot allow you to leave without your guardians present. It’s not safe,” Dad said. Malfoy sighed and wrenched his arm back but didn’t stalk away this time. Dad led them to find Ginny, Fred, and George. 

The twins looked ready to ask about why Malfoy was walking behind them all but with a sharp look from their father, they didn’t inquire. Ginny only looked curiously at him. All of them were quiet on the way toward their tent and the silence was a bit awkward.

“Draco,” Lucius Malfoy was by their tent, “thank goodness you’re safe,” Lucius Malfoy couldn’t look less unconcerned if he had a glass of wine in his hand. “Arthur, I suppose I should thank you.”

“It’s not a problem, Lucius, he hasn’t given me any trouble,” Arthur replied. 

“I’d hope not, come along Draco,” Lucius said like he was calling his dog instead of his son. Draco followed him and the rest of them went inside the tent to grab their things. Ron waited a moment, staring after them as Lucius' hand went to the back of Draco’s neck. 

“Ron,” Harry said and he turned to walk inside.


	6. Interview with Of Importance

After a few hours of sleep for everyone but Ron, they packed up and left to find the portkey. Ron said nothing as they walked down the hill but he heard a few stomach growls. 

Mum came running out once they got close, looking so pale and worried. She hugged the twins, crying away, and they all went inside. Hermione tended to her with a strong cup of tea and a bit of firewhiskey per Dad’s suggestion. 

“Rita Skeeter,” Dad said annoyed and the conversation went in the direction of how dad’s comment seemed to cause some problem. He was talking about going into the ministry. 

“I don’t see how this is your fault,” Ron said, “she’s the one who twisted the truth.”

“Regardless, I must go in,” Dad said. Ron was ready to argue but Harry interrupted.

“Alright if I go dump my stuff in your room, Ron?” he asked with an imploring look. 

“Fine,” Ron agreed and Hermione came with. Harry began to explain that his scar had begun to hurt and Hermione began a long-winded scolding and suggestions about which adult to speak to.

“The last time your scar hurt, You Know Who was in the castle, right? You don’t think he was there, do you?” Ron asked. 

“I dunno but I had a dream about him and well, Wormtail, you know Pettigrew,” Harry said. 

“Pettigrew? But that can’t be, the ministry arrested him,” Ron said.

“Is there a way to make sure?” Hermione asked, “maybe Sirius could ask?”

Ron narrowed his eyes as Harry looked rather guilty “you didn’t tell Sirius about this?” he asked.

“HARRY JAMES POTTER!” they all jumped at the sound of Sirius raised voice that climbed the stairs with the force of a sonorous charm.

“You know I could wrong but I think that Sirius might be a bit upset that you didn’t owl him,” Ron mentioned in a deadpan.  
Harry stood and went down the stairs with a flushed face and Sirius brought him into a hug. He led him away and Ron and Hermione shared a look. Once Harry spoke with Sirius, there wasn’t much else to say about what had happened. Sirius was over every morning for breakfast now even when he left to go do some stuff after.

Ron got a letter from Don a few mornings later “is that from Mr. Grey, dear?” Mom asked at the breakfast table “you can’t need to go to his place while Harry and Hermione are here, do you?” Mom tried not to show it but she was uneasy with his relationship with Don and Sol. Like she worried he’d just decide to leave the family.

Ron shrugged then opened his letter.

“Dear Ron, 

Hope your well since I last saw you among chaos but I’d have found out if you weren’t. Zoey, Hattie, Sol, and I are doing just fine. I suppose Freya included, I know the very last thing you want to do would be to stand a room with people taking pictures of you. Especially with what’s happened recently but it’s important. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come to pick you up. Zoey and Hattie will get you ready for everything then and we’ll go to the magazine studio. Send a letter back so I know you’ve gotten it.

Sincerely, 

Don Grey”

Ron blushed, he’d sort of forgotten about the photoshoot on account of the chaos at the World Cup. The idea of bringing it up with his brothers and his sister watching him, he’d rather not. 

“What is it?” Ginny asked impatiently “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I have to go meet Don tomorrow afternoon,” Ron said. 

“But he’ll bring you back, won’t he?” Mum asked him and Ron sighed a bit in irritation. 

“Yes, Mum, of course, he will,” he assured her.

“Alright then, but what for? Another of your etiquette lessons?” Ginny prompted. 

“Oh, well no,” he admitted, “see, I have to do an interview.”

“An interview?” Bill asked raising his eyebrows. 

“Is that so weird? I’m y’ know a prince, a public figure or whatever,” he muttered, he didn’t mind saying it in front of anyone else but with his family, it was too embarrassing.

“Of course it’s not weird, Ron. It’s just you haven’t gone public with the whole royalty thing so it’s unexpected,” Hermione said. 

“Right, Hermione dear, well whose the interview with? The Daily Prophet?” Mum asked. 

Ron shook his head “he didn’t want it up to the hands of Rita Skeeter, he’s not a fan. So he’s going through a magazine called ‘Of Importance,’ he said. 

“OI wants an interview?” Percy asked, stunned.

“What you know it?” Ron asked. 

“Ron, that’s a really famous magazine. They cover celebrities and Quidditch players and important people. You really haven’t heard of it?” Sirius

“There’s no way,” Charlie said then stood up from the table and came back with a magazine. It was a dark blue cover with a stunning photograph of Celestina Warbeck. In the corner were two initials ‘OI’ looped together and under it in smaller lettering, it said ‘Of Importance’

“Oh!” Ron said “I know that cover, I never knew it was called out though,” he said. 

Everyone groaned “Ron.”

“Well, I guess you are a celebrity now,” Mum commented, “oh should we cut your hair?” she asked. 

“No,” Ron replied immediately “Hattie and Zoey are two girls who are like I guess stylists or whatever. They can do it if they need to,” he said, he didn’t need his hair way too short and look stupid on an international magazine cover.

“Oh alright,” Mum said. 

“Can Harry and I come?” Hermione immediately asked. 

“I guess so but why would you want to?” Ron asked.

“I’m curious about what kind of traditional stuff you have to do,” Hermione replied immediately “right Harry?” she prompted and Ron was a bit bewildered at her keenness to come. What was her plan?

“Er,” Harry said “sure,” he said after a moment and it was settled. 

Xxx

“Is that how you’re going?” Hermione asked him as he came downstairs dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was still ruffled from sleep, he’d gone to bed at 4 am to wake up at 8.

“No point in doing anything to look better since Hattie and Zoey practically attack me to make me presentable,” Ron replied, sipping at his glass then stood to open the door. He heard Don and the girls approach. 

“Good morning,” Don said with a little bow at all of them, especially to his Mum who flushed.

“Good morning, this must be Hattie and Zoey that Ronnie told me about,” Mum said and Ron ignored the Ronnie part. 

“It’s a pleasure, ma’am,” Hattie and Zoey bowed. They were both in the impeccable form today, both in heels that made them tower a bit. Zoey wore her signature bob in a half ponytail and was dressed in high waisted trousers and a form-fitting blouse. 

Hattie wore her hair down for once and it was ringlets down to her waist. She wore entirely white from her tank top to her skirt and heels. Her accessories were all black, however. 

“Goodness, such beautiful girls,” Mum said and they both smiled. 

“Thank you,” they said in tandem. 

“Would you take a drink, blood, or tea?” Mum asked them. 

“Perhaps another time, we ought to get going,” Don said.

“Then when you bring them back,” Mum replied and Don nodded. Ron, Hermione, and Harry all went outside with the other three. 

“Where’s Sol?” Ron asked as Don took out his wand, he didn’t see it very often.

“He’s getting supplies, Beauxbaton’s start a little earlier than Hogwarts,” Don replied. Then waved his wand and hand at the same time drawing up a portal.

“Does Ron get to do that someday?” Harry asked. 

“It’s on the list,” Don replied then offered his hand for everyone to go through. 

“So why is it that vampires can do the portal and Wizards can’t?” Hermione wondered as they walked through, finding themselves in an alley. It must be London considering the large buildings around them. 

“Not all vampires can do it,” Hattie mentioned, “a few can but they are either much older or are turned, wizards.” They all walked through the street in a group.

“But that would imply that wizard blood is needed but we can’t do it,” Hermione asked. 

“Wizards can but it would kill you, hence why any evidence of the vocal spell has been erased” Don replied “the energy required is immense, it would empty all magic reserves. Think of it like a dementor’s kiss.”

Ron shivered a bit “so why can vampires do it?”

“A few older vampires can because of years of magical growth. I suppose if a very old wizard, like your Headmaster attempted the portal, he would manage it without dying. But he is no ordinary wizard because of his large magical reserves,”

“So your saying vampire wizards have a wider magical reserve than our most powerful wizards?” Hermione asked. 

“Perhaps not wider, deeper I would say,” Don said “think of wizard magic like a river, strong and fast. Powerful certainly. A vampire is more like a lake. It fills slowly but it’s deeper than a river.”

“So you can take a large chunk of water from a lake for the portal without harming the lake’s bottom?” Harry asked, borrowing the metaphor. 

“Right, when I use a portal I feel a little tired. It’s not recommended to do it more than once per every couple of hours but otherwise, I recover fairly quickly so long as I’ve eaten,” Don explained. “Ah,” he stopped in leading them. 

They stopped a fountain with a figure of dragon “magnificent,” Hattie said cheerfully and Ron was about to agree when he saw the part in half to reveal steps. They followed the marble steps down and were in an entryway that was covered in hanging plants and flowers. 

The front desk area was white and the witch dressed in pale blue robes stood immediately once they entered. “Welcome to OI, your majesty, and highness,” she said. 

“Thank you for allow us to come, Ms. Kare” Don said bowing and the witch bowed in a clumsy flushed way. 

“Not at all, we’ve been so very excited about it. It’s such a big thing for us to cover,” Ms. Kare looked like she could be either 20 to 26 but it was hard to tell. She had rosy cheeks and her hair was in a blonde bun, tied with a quill.

“I’m glad you were willing to take my request, anyway,” Don said and Ms. Kare smiled in an esteemed sort of way. 

“We’ll do our best to make this a very simple process. We got the prep room ready as requested, your wardrobe choices arrived early yesterday. Our photographer will be ready when you say the word,” Ms. Kare explained. 

“Wonderful, then I suppose I’ll introduce my mentee, Ronald Weasley Grey,” Don said 

Ms. Kare smiled cheerfully and bowed a bit “it’s a pleasure, your highness,” Ron flushed, he couldn’t use to people calling him by honorifics.

“and his very good friends, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter.”

“You’re kidding,” Ms. Kare said glancing at Harry who shuffled his feet, awkward. “Oh, don’t be shy, it’s a pleasure to meet you all,” she emphasized all. “Trust me I meet a lot of incredibly famous people, I won’t gawk.”

Harry stood a bit more relaxed “right then, and these beautiful girls are Hattie and Zoey Lameh. They are here to style Ron,”

“Pleasure,” Ms. Kare said and she was so excited genuine that Ron felt a bit more relaxed. They were led to the room that had a familiar outfit on a hanger. “If you don’t mind, I’d love a casual interview so if I could ask a few questions?”

“Certainly,” Don agreed for Ron but he assumed he wasn’t allowed to say no anyway. 

Hattie and Zoey led him to an area behind a curtain “okay, you know,” Zoey tugged at his shirt once and began to lift.

“Wait,” Ron tugged it back down and looked at Hermione who watched right next to Harry who looked at her like he should be taking her out. “Get out,” he said quietly.

“Why?” Hermione asked as if she didn’t know why.

“Because I’m-” 

“Oh I wouldn’t worry, we don’t have to strip you today. Just your pants and shirt,” Hattie said lifted his shirt without warning and crossed his arms over his chest feeling bitter. He was completely exposed and he took off his pants before Zoey could get to them. 

“Hm, let’s see, he looked excellent in the ball outfit but perhaps this one should be more casual?” Zoey said as Ron stood in only a pair of black boxer briefs.

“So, should I call you Mr. Grey or Weasley?” Ms. Kare asked, “or is there an honorific I should say in place of it?” 

Ron lost his focus on how bare he felt “I prefer it if you’d call me Ron. I’m fourteen so mister feels a bit like I’m too old or like I’m speaking with my teachers,” he said. 

Ms. Kare laughed “I see, then Ron it is. So Ron, tell me about before you were turned. What’s life like at home?”

Ron was surprised, he wasn’t expecting that “it’s normal, I guess. Becoming the vampire prince of Romania hasn’t really affected the way my family treats me at all,”

“I suppose that’s good, isn’t it? The sense of normalcy has to feel nice. But Ron, I want to go a bit deeper, just me about your family,” Ms. Kare said, she was so eager he didn’t feel pressured.

“It’s big, I’m the youngest boy of seven, I have five older brothers and one little sister,” he said. 

“Wow, that is a lot. Do they ever get overprotective then?”

“Oh, you better believe it,” Ron agreed, feeling like he could just talk with this reporter. She seemed so genuine “Although Ginny, my sister gets most of the brunt of that. We all glare at any boy who happens to look in her direction,” he said and Ms. Kare laughed. She really did and not just politely, Ron decided he liked her a lot.

“And what about you?” Ms. Kare asked. 

“Well, my brother can’t even decide if they want to shove me away or pull me behind them. Nevermind that now that I’m a vampire, I can lift all of them over my head,” Ron said. 

“That you can,” Ms. Kare said “I’ve seen plenty of vampires in action. So tell me about your parents?” 

“My dad works at the ministry, he’s in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department,” Ron said, “and my mum stays at home, our house is pretty big so it’s a full-time job keeping it clean especially when all of us are there in the summer.”

“So what is the Weasley family home like?” 

Ron told her a bit about the burrow with the chicken coops and garden. Hattie and Zoey had him dressed with hair done as he spoke. He talked about being turned and how that changed his life. 

“So, training to be a Prince. It’s not an easy task, is it?” Ms. Kare asked as they turned onto the topic.

“Well, the first half of the year, I thought every vampire had to do the kind of stuff I was learning,” Ron admitted. 

“What kind of stuff?” Ms. Kare asked. 

“First it was etiquette, manners, speech, and proper note-taking for school. Later on, I learned Romanian and then French,”

“And you did this all while you were in school?” she leaned in, enraptured as she took notes. She sounded impressed.

Ron blushed “well, I found I don’t need nearly as much sleep as most wizards. A few hours is enough, so that adds about four hours to study.”

“Amazing, so let’s talk language then. Just how well can you speak those two languages?”

“His highness is fluent in both,” Hattie said, running her hands through Ron’s slightly trimmed locks that she’d put hair gel in.

“And how long did that take?” 

Ron blushed “about four months to speak casual Romanian,” he said.

“And only two months to speak French,” Don said “he’s far too modest about it but he’s practically a genius when it comes to foreign language.”

“That’s ridiculous, I’m not,” Ron said, his face going hot.

“Well, I don’t know anyone else who can learn a language in a few months,” Ms. Kare said writing in her notebook. “So, is there a new language in mind to work on next?” 

“Considering Ron’s very solid grasp of Romanian, French was not a large leap. I doubt that he’ll struggle at all to learn Spanish and Portuguese,” Don mentioned

“So Romance languages then. What purpose is there in learning so many?” she asked.

Ron considered for a moment how to answer “though vampires are centered in Romania, we have several hundred worldwide. They all receive citizenship within our system should they choose to. I learned Romanian first because I already spoke English which covers for a large population that I can speak to directly. I learned French to do that too,”

“So your hard work to acquire these languages is so you can reach your subjects?” Ms. Kare asked.

“Well, when you put it that way it sounds like it’s some sacrifice but I really like language now. Feels like some type of magic,” Ron explained. “You know I saw the world cup recently before all that happened. Maybe I’ll learn Bulgarian,”

“I see, good luck then,” Ms. Kare said then paused as Zoey opened a wooden box that held the teardrop ruby earrings. “So these are the equivalent of a circlet?”

“Yes, they are only worn by the Crown Prince. These earrings are several hundred years old,” Don said as Zoey took one earring and Hattie the other and placed them on. 

“Those are beautiful,” Ms. Kare said in awe. 

Xxx

Hermione couldn’t help but agree with the reporter witch as she remarked on the ruby earrings Ron was wearing. Especially since the light seemed to glint off of them. At the placement of them, he pulled on white gloves and was ready for pictures. 

She couldn’t possibly think of anything to say as the photographer greeted Ron. “It’s a pleasure to meet you if you would stand in front of the backdrop. It’s best to act naturally to the camera,” the man said taking pictures with a smoking camera. 

Ron looked awkwardly stiff “Ron,” Hermione found herself blurting out and he looked at her. She frantically thought about making him laugh but she wasn’t at all funny. She couldn’t think of a single thing “um, do you remember when Fred and George, when they um”

Regardless of how she fumbled her words, Ron still rewarded her with this brilliant, slow curl of smile that made his eyes shine like beacons. Oh, he was gorgeous and she couldn’t think of anything anymore.

“Excellent,” the photographer said.

“You know that Sol taught me how to tango?” Ron mentioned to her and Harry who was still gawking all around the studio at the lights and backdrop. 

“No? Isn’t it difficult?” Harry asked snapping his attention back to Ron. 

“I guess it depends on who you ask but I think I did alright,” Ron shrugged “it’d be fun to learn more, Sol says that there are of course vampires in Argentina so he’s seen some of best dancers around there,” 

Hermione thought it sounded amazing and remembered what fun she had last Christmas dancing with Ron at the ball. “I can’t really dance very well,” Harry said. 

“If you want, I can give you lessons. Sol declares that I’m average now, high praise,” Ron said. Hermione giggled and Harry laughed too at Sol’s shrewd attitude.

Ron’s pictures were over with and the coat was stripped off and Ron was left in the slacks and button-up shirt. “Aren’t you going to take these?” Ron asked Hattie. 

“No,” Hattie replied “they look excellent on you, keep them a bit longer.” Ron gave a befuddled look and focused back on Ms. Kare. “Alright, at the risk of this being a bit awkward, tell me about your friends,” she said glancing at Hermione and Harry. She inclined her head and they mimicked her. 

“Well,” Ron began “where do I start, Hermione,” she looked at him wondering what he’d say about her exactly. Harry stared intently to wondering the same thing probably. “Is probably the smartest witch I’ve ever met, though when I first saw her, she probably thought I was the stupidest boy she’d ever seen,” he said. 

“I didn’t!” Hermione immediately argued, going scarlet and immediately forgot he’d called the smartest witch he knew.

“She did,” Ron shook his head “couldn’t help herself correcting me on every assignment we ever had in class. Wasn’t my favorite witch for a while but I eventually saw she only wanted to be me and Harry’s friend.”

“Ron!” Hermione glared at him and Ms. Kare laughed. 

“Sorry dear, such a healthy relationship you have. Alright, enough embarrassing the poor girl, how about Harry, here?” Ms. Kare asked.

“Right, Harry. Let’s forget for a second that Harry is one of the most famous wizards of all time, alright?”

“Alright,” Ms. Kare agreed. 

“Harry is kind, really genuinely kind,” Ron said.

Harry flushed and Hermione smiled, Harry really was a sweet person when it came down to it. “But he’s also got a really smart mouth and you really oughtn’t push his buttons. It’s only your own fault if you end up with-”

“Ron,” Harry was the one who was embarrassed now. 

“Well, she asked,” Ron said.

“Well, I think that about does it. I have so much to write about I can’t wait to get started, thanks for such a wonderful interview,” she said. 

Ron shook his head with a smile that was dazzling, Hermione needed to get a grip. “No, thank you, Ms. Kare, I didn’t think I’d have as much fun as I did,” Ron admitted.

“Great,” she beamed then took out some cards, “if you need to get in touch with me for any reason.” she looked at Harry “and if you might think about an interview, Harry, please let me know.”

Harry nodded taking the card thrust at him.


	7. Let's Play a Game

The final few days, until they were set to get on the Hogwarts Express, were a whirlwind. Sol, to Ron’s outrage, had left without a goodbye to him. Then Hattie and Zoey swung by the burrow, took measurements of waist, height, shoulders, and everything before leaving abruptly. 

“Everybody is bloody mad,” Ron mentioned as they sat in a compartment on the train. Every adult who escorted them to the platform made all sorts of weird statements about what would happen this year at Hogwarts. 

“It’s a surprise, highness, it wouldn’t be fun if we told you,” Hattie told him and Zoey nodded. Ron huffed like he hadn’t in a while, he’d had a rough night. Usually, he had no trouble sleeping and didn’t need a lot of it. 

Recently, his strange dreams kept him up every night and it was only due to Sol’s recommended eye cream to keep his dark circles off his face. He also thanked his surprisingly elastic vampire skin. 

Fortunately, it was now illegal to kill vampires to use in potions for cosmetics but he could see why it would be effective. Hermione just completely ignored the strange behavior and explained the things she was excited about.

Mostly involving her lessons in Arithmancy, Runes, and blah blah. Ron closed his eyes and found he drifted off. 

_Ron’s skin buzzed with alertness as chaos surrounded him, bigger and more chaotic than the kind he’d encountered at the World cup. Teenagers, kids, and adults were all around, their wands out._

_He was shocked as a young boy about thirteen aimed his wand at a towering man. With a flick and hex, the man was sent flying backward. Ron stared all around and found he recognized people but the debris. He realized this must be Hogwarts._

  
_He turned when thousands of dementors surrounded them and it was like the area was in the arctic. An old man with a white beard who looked a bit like Dumbledore threw out a spell so powerful, it cast a vibration in the whole area._

_It cast a wide, pulsating ethereal blue light that Ron realized was a Patronus charm. He’d never seen one that big or that powerful. It sent the dementors scattering out of the vicinity. It was then he realized what he should have from the start, this was Hogwarts._

_It was in ruins and it was like a war was going on inside the walls. Giants, dementors, death eaters, and his vision tunneled to see a thin man. Ron had only seen him in history books, it was the only kind of history he actually read about._

“Ron, Ron!”

“Your highness,” Ron’s eyes snapped open and he turned to his side, panting. He felt as if he’d run for days on end and his entire chest was going to cave in. 

“Ron,” Hermione’s voice sounded scared like he’d never heard it. It was then that he felt the sweat on his neck, the heat on his body like it never was anymore. He was on the ground and Hermione’s hand was on his shoulder.

“Give him space, Hermione,” Harry told her and her hand was gone. He gathered everything he’d just seen in his mind, he compartmentalized. Giants, check, Hogwarts in ruins, check, a war, check, oh and just the dark lord, check. 

“I’m on a train to Hogwarts,” he said, he could just feel Hermione and Harry as they exchanged alarmed looks. 

“Yes, Ron, you are,” Hermione said placating, “are you alright?” she asked. 

Ron sighed “yeah, I’m fine,” he said and technically it was the truth. He was not dead or maimed or in the middle of a war that was destroying his school led by he-who-must-not-be-named. That was a plus at least.

Hermione hummed “no, I don’t think so. You are so far from alright at the moment that I have no clue what to do. Which I hate, by the way, having no clue. You are not fine or alright. So if you don’t mind, actually no you are going to tell us what is going on, Ronald Weasley! Grey!” she added Grey astonishingly easily though it was clear she forgot. 

Ron sat up, letting his chest slow down and cool from the previously burning sensation. “Zoey, Hattie, if you please would give us some privacy,” he said. 

“Yes, your highness,” Zoey looked a little put-out but stood with Hattie. “We’ll be in a few compartments over.” As they left, Hermione waited with crossed arms. 

“You’ve done this a few times so if you think can just run away, well you’ve got another thing-”

“I think I’m a seer,” Ron said and Hermione stopped speaking and her mouth dropped. “I know you think Divination is a bunch of bollocks but I’ve predicted a few things that happened recently.”

“Like what?” Harry asked.

“The dark mark, I had a dream before it happened so when I saw it. I knew,” Ron said. “I know it sounds nuts but-”

“It’s not,” Harry said “how long? Last year you had all these dreams where you were so… so stressed that you dug into your palms with your nails,” he said.

“What?” Hermione whirled on him “Ron, when was this?”

“That was different, just some nightmares. But lately, there are these dreams that happen that aren’t just when I’m asleep,” Ron explained. 

“Then what did you see?” Harry asked and Ron swallowed then took out his journal. Raya gave him a journal for Christmas last year, a dream journal like she knew. He really needed to write to her soon if this continued. 

“Is that?” Hermione asked like she couldn’t believe he was so organized.

“Raya, the Queen, gave it to me. I think she knew I was having some strange dreams,” Ron said. “Let me write this down,” he added writing down every detail he remembered from what he had seen.

It was only as he held a self-inking quill that he realized how much his hand trembled. He wished he could say outright that it would never happen but after last winter and the world cup, he couldn’t deny it. He didn’t know when it would happen, he hadn’t seen Harry or Hermione. 

Would seeing the future change the outcome, could he stop a destructive battle like that from ever happening? He stopped writing once he finished the last detail “you can read what I saw but don’t go before that, alright?” he said handing over the journal. 

His dream about Hermione was in there along with some others he’d prefer not to think about. Harry and Hermione read it, their shoulders together as their eyes scanned it.   
“You saw Voldemort?” Harry asked and Ron winced.

“Yes, I’ve seen his picture in books, I wouldn’t mistake him for anyone else,” Ron said then shivered “he’s not really human-looking so,”

“Well, maybe it was a nightmare then,” Hermione said after a moment of silence. Ron waited for her to speak “you’ve been stressed, we all have from that incident. If it happens when your awake, maybe Madam Pomfrey could help” Despite his first instinct is to get angry that she didn’t believe him.

He knew that Hermione needed proof and circumstance in order to believe something. She wasn’t the type to just take anyone’s word so he wasn’t surprised. “And Harry’s dreams, are those nightmares too?” he asked calmly. 

“Well, I’m not sure but Harry’s scar, it hasn’t been wrong-”

“But for me, I’m always wrong, is that it?” Ron still trembled from the vision but now he was just angry and a little hurt. He kept this in since February and one of the two people he would hope believe him didn’t. He stood up and Hermione did too, her hands going up.

“No, I never said that. I just think that we should be logical about this,” Hermione placated. “Listen, divination isn’t exactly-”

“I’m not reading tea leaves, Hermione!” his voice feeling caught in his throat. He struggled to find words again “forget it,” he said then threw open the sliding door and slammed it behind him. The glass shattered.

“Ron!” Hermione's voice carried. He kept walking as Hattie and Zoey appeared at his side. Despite that Ron felt the need to tell them to piss off, he harshly reminded himself to keep his mouth shut.

He breathed to shake out the frenzy of anxiety he’d worked up. His instincts were a bit wired. “Highness,” Hattie said gently and he turned to her and saw the chocolate frog in her hand. “His majesty said you were partial to them.”

Ron took it and sighed deeply as he chewed slowly on the chocolate. He felt better even if his nerves were fried “too bad Valkyrie is with the Patriarch, she would be a comfort to you,” Zoey said.

“You two are comforting enough,” Ron replied, it was true in that he felt calmer at their presence. They were on his side, literally, it seemed since they had been proclaimed his standing guard.

They both smiled, though Zoey was a bit shyer like she was trying to pretend not to be as happy. “Your highness, do you have visions like the queen?” Zoey asked. 

“If I’m reading things right, maybe,” he said. “I suppose you believe in those things?”

“Seers, the real ones anyway, have never been known to be wrong. Other methods we’ve heard of like tea leaves or crystal balls, are a bit questionable.” Hattie replied. 

“Right,” Ron agreed.

Xxx

Harry was annoyed, Ron had kept silent about his dreams for a long time. Harry had outright asked him about them but he was a closed book. Then when Ron was finally telling them about something, Hermione had to open her mouth. 

“Let him go,” Harry said in barely controlled fury, and Hermione quickly aimed at the door with a flick of her wand. The glass reassembled itself and she sat down. Harry fumbled where to start “I can’t believe you,” he said first. 

Hermione looked at him “I didn’t mean it to sound like it did. He was putting words in my mouth.”

“You were basically calling him crazy, of course, he’d react like that,” Harry said.

“I didn’t say that,” Hermione said, “we need to be logical.”

“No, you just don’t want to believe him because you can’t measure it and dissect this. You can’t study this stuff, Hermione. And even though you couldn’t believe him, did you have to bring it up when he finally told us what was going on?” Harry asked. 

“I… oh, I’m so stupid,” Hermione put her face in her hands. 

“For once, Hermione, I agree. Listen, I need to tell you something I heard from Professor Trelawney…”

Xxx

Ron decided to take a stroll through the corridors before he made his way back. He decided he maybe overreacted, he had been coming down from an adrenaline high after all. 

“Well, if it isn’t Weasley?” Pansy Parkinson sneered at him as she opened the door to the compartment he’d found himself next to. He took a neutral expression as he glanced at Blaise Zabini and Malfoy who were also there.

“Ah, well, good for you in discovering my last name,” Ron said.

“Where’s that Potter and the mud-” 

“I don’t recall me being chained at the hip with my friends, Parkinson. As much as I’d enjoy chatting, I’ll be going,” Ron replied, neither polite nor rude. He was a little curious to see that Malfoy’s gaze was firmly pointed at the windows. 

Maybe he still felt awkward about what they talked, or more screamed, about with Hermione. “You’re rather high and mighty lately, Weasley. Is it the vampire blood, it’s amazing you don’t feel any shame,” Pansy continued as if she hadn’t heard and she wouldn’t move out of his way.

“Pansy darling, you really should sit down. This is all in rather poor taste,” Blaise spoke up, to his surprise. 

Pansy looked irked “you can’t tell me you’re not curious.”

“Merlin, if you’ve got a question then ask it instead of circling. If I want to answer I’ll do it,” Ron said, pinched. He was rather happy that Zoey and Hattie remained silent and immovable. 

“The Weasley’s attire is looking to be in much better taste recently and Draco for a fact knows that your father hasn’t received a promotion. Does that mentor of yours pay you or something?”

Ron did not like the pay she said ‘pay’ like he was somehow doing something sex-related with his mentor. The magazine had not dropped yet and he found that he was pretty nervous about it.

It was true that Ron had fought his parents quite a bit this summer about buying school robes for his siblings. He’d needed to reason and shout a bit to insist and bargained with his mum about half prices for robes. 

In the end, he won and they all had clean pressed school uniforms, shoes, and textbooks. The price was shared with his parents but he was much happier since he didn’t stand out as having nicer things than the rest of his family. Ironic, that.

“Do you receive allowance as an Heir, Parkinson?” Ron asked. 

Her slim brow raised “yes, any pureblood worth their salt receives a pretty substantial amount of allowance.”

“So do I,” Ron replied “I guess since it’ll get out eventually I can spare you the surprise. Vampires choose their successor based on chance and then merit, I’ll be the next King,” he said, it was the first time he’d said that to anyone who didn’t already know with so much confidence. “I’m surprised Malfoy here didn’t mention that.”

He had been there when he’d mentioned to the Minister, hadn’t he?

Malfoy turned around for once to look at him, he looked exhausted with eye circles. He looked as if he wasn’t sleeping well “I don’t gossip,” he said. Ron tilted his head, this wasn’t true at all. 

“That’s a fucking laugh,” Ron said, amazed that it had come out his enemy’s mouth. Malfoy lived for gossip, it was his favorite especially when it came to Harry, Hermione, and him. 

“That’s what I said,” Blaise spoke up and Ron felt that this felt less like an enemy confrontation and more like a casual talk between school mates. “Then why are you telling us?”

Ron considered the discussion with Hermione the Christmas last year. 

xxx

“Just thinking that we’re it, aren’t we? We end up with the jobs of our generations before us, right?”

  
“Well, there’s a gap before we actually are allowed to make decisions, job training and-”

“Hermione,” Ron interrupted, “listen, I think…” he stopped. Hermione waited and his elatedness drained out of him. “Nevermind, it’s dumb-”

Hermione stood up suddenly and took Ron’s hand “Ron, nothing you’ve said lately has been dumb now that you’ve been using your brain. So help me, Ronald.”

“What are you harping on about?” Ron looked away, his face flushing.

“Oh honestly,” Hermione grip tightened, and it kind of hurt it a bit.

“I think… that you can change an entire populace if you can change how it’s future thinks,” Ron finished “you’re bruising me, by the way.”

Hermione dropped his hand and he rubbed it a moment. The pain melted away fairly quickly. “Then we’ll do that,” Hermione said.

“What?” Ron asked.

“We’ll change our future for the best. So, we start with Hogwarts,” Hermione stood proud and Ron knew that she’d never forget this.  
“Right,” Ron said.

  
Xxx

  
How do you change society like that, could he even do it? Could he change the opinions of an entire populace even a small place like Hogwarts? He didn’t have the charisma that many of his family had. He stopped himself then.

  
“Listen, information can be very useful as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now. If there’s something you want to know and it’s within my power to give it to you with no detriment, I will,” Ron said. 

  
“What’s your game?” Pansy asked and Ron smiled. 

  
“The Slytherins have some things correct, as students, the connections we make will help us, adults. You have an oversight, however,”  
“Oversight?” Malfoy asked.

  
“Hermione Granger,” Ron replied to all their surprise “is the smartest witch in a generation and I swear that one day she’ll be on top. You may have poor opinions on blood but there aren’t many of you left that think like this. Harry Potter, as much as you like to tease about his fame, it’s an advantage. Whatever he decides to do, people will be jumping out of their seats to make way. Harry works for what he wants, you’ve seen his seeking skills.”

  
“Your point?” Pansy said.

  
“The game of our lives beyond this place is right now. Think of it as a chessboard, you’re collecting your pieces and if you’ve lost them…”

  
“You lose,” Blaise drawled looking intently at him “so your game, Weasley?”

  
“An alliance, I’m here to collect you. So...” Ron decided to step inside their compartment and Pansy made way for him to his surprise. “Who wants to play?”

  
Xxx  
“The youngest Weasley boy is coming along very well, Mr. Grey,” Minerva mentioned. A few professors sat for tea as they waited for the students to arrive via the Hogwarts express. “I was impressed by his transfiguration scores. He never showed interest before.”

Donovan chuckled, pleased “it was a matter of teaching him how to fail,” he said. 

“Fail?” Severus raised an eyebrow “are our students not expected to succeed in our courses?” he asked.

“Of course, they should absolutely succeed but I’ve always thought that failure is a good teacher. Ron was failing in his classes because he took the mistakes he made as a sign of being unintelligent. So I simply told him to analyze his process just like a chessboard, he’s rather talented at that.”

“I highly doubt that a botched potion would be a good teaching moment,” Severus commented dubiously. “I certainly haven’t seen Weasley seriously fail in his courses yet,”

“But potions can be fixed, more of one ingredient can help the color, right?” Donovan asked. “I showed Ron how to do that, watch him next time you’re in his class.”

“I suppose,” he drawled in response “a good potions master understands the ratio of ingredients, color is telling as well.”

“So how about you mess up your potion on purpose for the sake of teaching them how to fix it,” Donovan suggested.

“Botch it on purpose?” Severus looked a bit horrified and Minerva smiled secretively. 

“Severus, it’s not a terrible idea. You can make a special lesson about it,” she said, her eyes lighting with a twinkle.  
Xxx

“Before you state your case, who are they?” Blaise asked gesturing to Hattie and Zoey who waited outside the compartment.  
“My guard, I guess, the vampire council prefers extra measures be taken in the case of its successors,”

“Anyway,” Blaise said taking charge since it looked like Malfoy had no intention, he was still staring at Ron like he’d grown two heads, or three. “What is it you want out of us?”

Ron leaned back into the seat and crossed his leg over his knee. “That depends on you but as for me, I have a lot to offer. Like it or not, regardless of how I got it but I have influence now. The British ministry is far behind others, vampires have some holds regarding rare metals, plants, and magical materials. That could leverage your shares in the future unless you’d like to factor that in now,”

“How rare?” Malfoy asked, seeming to have gotten his head in it now. 

Ron smiled, he had the bait, now for the hook “we’re based in Romania so it stands to reason that we have close ties with the dragon reserves. Dragonhide, scales, blood, spines and that’s just the beginning. The hot springs in caves far beneath the castle hold other metals and gemstones. We trade with Goblins and muggles, there are no ties currently with wizards yet,” he said. 

“Alright, that is a compelling offer. Material is worth its weight in galleons but the question is, what do you get in return?” Blaise asked.

“Friendship,” Ron said and he smiled at the round of disbelieving looks. “Or allies if you want to look at it that way. The point is I don’t want to trade, it’s flimsy to have to offer something every time I need a favor. Friends offer themselves up willingly. So, you want to be friends?” he asked. 

Xxx

Pansy could not believe that this was the same Ronald Weasley that she and their group had made fun of. In the past, Weasley was a thin gangly boy with the intelligence of a bull and never stopped to use his brain. 

Even last year he’d kept his head down, for the most part, he didn’t look this hot. Weasley was, dare she admit it, dashing now with the haircut that managed his blood-red hair. 

His clothing fit him closely outlining just how his body had changed for the better. He was slim but she could see the subtle curve of his biceps in his crisp collarless button-up shirt. He looked the part of the prince but Pansy didn’t like just pretty faces, she liked intelligence. 

“How the hell did the hat pass you up?” Pansy said, dropping the formality. “Salazar, Weasley, you belong in our house,” she said. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Ron said with a smile.

“You better, that’s a very serious honor,” Blaise said lazily, his eyes were also studying Ron’s physique with particular attentiveness. Pansy gave him a glance and he winked at her. 

“Well, then I thank you very much,” Ron nodded his head regally, regal! Pansy felt losing herself and flat-out staring, she didn’t even care that he was a vampire, it just made him hotter. He could take a bite out of her anytime, she’d welcome it.

“Friends, honestly?” Draco asked, her longtime friend was looking a little disgruntled and losing the battle in not showing it. 

“You don’t to be my friend? You wanted to be Harry’s when we were eleven but I was the wrong sort,” Ron said, his voice was casual but his words cut a bit. Draco grimaced. 

“That was before I knew that Potter was such a,”

“Git? It’s okay, you can say that. I prefer specky git, he’s got a mouth on him. Makes it rather hilarious so long as his sass is not pointed in your direction but you would know that, wouldn’t you?” Ron said. 

“I don’t think our fathers would approve,” Draco said and they all rolled their eyes. 

“My father prefers his kids to be independent, not sure he’d like it but he probably won’t condemn it. You scared I’ll corrupt or something?” Ron asked he smirked. 

His lips were certainly something and she caught the pearl white fangs a little too. “Hardly,” Draco scoffed then held out a hand “fine, you want to be friends, that’s what we’ll be.”

Ron took his hand immediately and shook “great, as your friend I should let you know formally that I will hex you if you say the word mudblood ever in my presence, alright?” 

Draco sighed “noted.”

“I think I like this friendship,” Blaise drawled and offered his own hand. 

“So, do we call your Ron then? Prince Ron, your highness?” Pansy offering her handshake. She was pleasantly surprised when Weasley took her hand gently so it was parallel with the floor. He then gently kissed the top.

She had assumed that he, not being in the pureblood culture, wouldn’t know that kind of greeting. She was sorely mistaken.

“Just Ron is fine and I’ll call you by first names too,” Ron said releasing her hand. “Well, I’ve been away a bit long so I’m gonna go back to Harry and Hermione. See you at the feast,” he said.

“Goodbye,” Blaise said and he went out the compartment door. As he strolled down the hall, the two striking girls as his guard followed. “Fucking hell, I almost wish he’d kissed my hand.”

“Blaise,” Draco groaned. 


	8. A House Alliance Club

Ron was a little shocked he’d pulled it off, he’d managed to end the rivalry for now between them. In theory. Now if only it was so easy to do with all of Slytherin and Gryffindor. Now to sort out his best friends. 

“Do you mind if I just chat with them alone?” Ron asked Hattie and Zoey who nodded and went to a compartment together.

He slid open their compartment and Hermione stood up immediately “Ron,” she said. She looked worried “I’m really sorry-”

“It’s okay,” he said immediately, finding he wasn’t angry anymore. He wasn’t going to force her into believing him, he found it hard to believe himself.

“It’s not,” she said “I was the one who demanded that you tell me and when you did-”

“I overreacted,” he said “I shouldn’t have lost my temper,”

“You were in the right to lose your temper, Ron, you were scared by that dream, vision, or whatever” Hermione continued on. Ron decided to sit down to let them all relax. Harry was looking at the pair of them intensely. 

“I think,” Harry began and he turned to look at him “that we should be open to the possibility and that none of us should immediately jump to other answers.”

“Right, I’m sorry that I-”

“Give it a rest, alright?” Ron sighed “you don’t need to apologize anymore.”

“Fine, fine. Well, on closer inspection I realize that these visions are rather specific and vague,” Hermione said and Ron was horrified to find she still had his journal. Ron had written down that dream he’d had about her and the river. 

“You didn’t read it all, did you?” Ron asked, hoping he didn’t sound accusatory. 

“No, I just read the bit about Hogwarts and the one before it. Was there something else?” Hermione asked. 

“No,” Ron said, his face flushing a bit “I’ll have it back, though.” He needed some kind of spell to make his journal more secret.

“Sure,” Hermione agreed and handed over the book “my point is that a dream would be a bit more fanciful and specific. Is there a way to perhaps prove the seer theory?” she asked. 

“I don’t exactly spit out prophecies, Hermione,” Ron said. 

“No, what I mean is that seers are most often hereditary. Do you know if your family has any seer blood?” Hermione asked. 

Ron paused “not sure but I’ve never thought to ask,” he said. He’d have to send a letter to his parents to check then. “Okay, I’ll ask later. For now, I have something else to tell you,” he said. 

He explained running into Malfoy, Parkinson, and Zabini. “You made friends with them?” Harry asked slowly as if waiting for Ron to burst out laughing. “But Malfoy is- he’s been awful to all of us since the first year. All of them have been awful actually, well not Zabini but the rest of them,” Harry said. 

“I’m not denying that,” Ron agreed.

“Then why?” Hermione asked also looking confused. 

"Before last year, I was convinced Malfoy was evil and the rest of Slytherin's house was just as evil. But w e talked about changing how Hogwarts views stuff, me and Hermione did. It was in passing, but I really think I want to try,” Ron said. 

“How does making friends help?” Harry asked crossing his arms.

“Well, as my friend do you consider me dangerous?” Ron asked, giving them a smile with teeth. Rare since he didn’t typically like to do this. 

“No,” they replied simultaneously “you mean that if you get them to know you, they won’t be scared?” Hermione asked. 

“That’s part of it, more like their opinions may change the more they know us. Distance only creates strife so I want to bridge the gap. Slytherin is so far away from the rest of the houses and they did it themselves a long time ago,” Ron said. 

“You read Hogwarts A History then?” Hermione asked. 

“Reluctantly but yes, I did,” Ron said.

“Even if we make friends with them, that doesn’t mean everyone is going to follow suit,” Harry said. 

“Right,” Ron agreed “we might even be accused of fraternizing or something,” he was perfectly aware that his house wouldn’t like it. But if he could just change a little, get people to talk to each other. 

He’d realized it at the world cup that Malfoy was like him just a little, he didn’t feel good enough. Maybe they did have things in common with Slytherin. And with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

They just needed to start somewhere “I should start a chess club,” Ron said and his friends stared at him, dumbstruck by the random statement “we’d do it somewhere everyone can be any house,” he said. 

“While a chess club would be a good idea,” Hermione began “maybe a club with a bit more of a wider interest would be better. Like a study group,” she said. 

Harry looked skeptical “but then some people wouldn’t want to come,” he said “not everyone likes studying. Why not being obvious with your aim, Ron?” 

“How do you mean?” Ron asked eagerly. 

“An Interhouse relations club,” Harry said “the point is to make friends with people in other houses. You can do whatever you’d like in the club but it’s a chance to hang out not in the common room. You can play chess, study, play exploding snap, or something.”

“That’s a brilliant idea,” Ron said ecstatically. “Where could have it?” he asked. 

“Needs to be at least as big as the house common rooms,” Harry said.

“How about we just make a room?” Ron asked, “the room of requirement will do whatever we can think of.” They all agreed on that location and talked about what kind of things they wanted in the room. 

Xxx

Arriving at Hogwarts, Hattie and Zoey told Ron that they would be ‘making ourselves scarce but don’t worry, we’re there if you need us. Just call.” Ron didn’t think too hard about it or he’d give himself a headache.

The great hall was the same as ever. Ron was glad the vampire thing didn’t lead to staring as it had before. He let himself enjoy it since it would back full force once the magazine came out. 

The new professor however and the announcement of the Tri-Wizard Tournament was new. Ron couldn’t believe he’d get to be here when it happened. The twins were very irritated when they’d heard that they wouldn’t be able to enter legally. He really couldn't believe it.

He sat up when it was mentioned that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would arrive in a month’s time. “Wait a minute,” Ron said, annoyed “that’s why Sol didn’t say goodbye, isn’t it? He knew he’d be going to Hogwarts soon.”

“But isn’t it likely that Beauxbatons is going to bring their eldest students?” Hermione asked. 

“Maybe but I can’t see Sol passing up coming here when his dad and Ron are also here, can you?” Harry asked.

Ron rolled his eyes, he would thump him when he saw him next. He could just see the smirk on his stupid tanned face. “I’m going to send him a howler, I swear,” he muttered. 

“Knowing him, he’d send something right back,” Hermione replied. And then Mad-Eye Moody came in, affectively throwing everyone into silence and awe. He really did look pretty frightening.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked. 

Ron hadn’t drunk anything in the morning but he was hardly hungry. “No, I’ll probably just have something with Don later…” Ron paused when he caught sight of a platter appearing that was near to him.

It was a different style than the rest of the silver platters. While most were open to allow for easy use and heating and cooling charms to keep the dishes at optimum temperature, this one had a rounded glass cover. 

Inside it, there were some expertly made cookies with diamond, heart, and square-shaped holes in them. The middle was a red sort of jam.

A curious first-year attempt to take off the cover but his hand moved away. “I can’t touch it,” the boy said, “some sort of spell is on it.”

Ron reached for it but nothing prevented him from grabbing the red knob on the cover and lifting it. The smell, even among the thousands of nauseating scents of other foods, was strong. It immediately made him salivate and he took a single cookie. 

Another firstie tried as the cover was off but her hand waved away. “How come he can lift it?” she muttered. 

“Because it’s not for anyone else,” Hermione said as if it was obvious as Ron replaced the lid. He took a bite out of the cookie, it was obviously some sort of blood in the jam but he’d never tasted it like this. 

“Why not?” the first year asked, “what’s so special about you?” the boy asked curiously.

Ron let his eyes rest on the new Gryffindor boy, the boy’s eyes grew a bit wider. “Trust me, you don’t want this cookie,” he said, grinning toothily and popping the rest into his mouth. It was delicious. 

He glanced at the staff table and locked eyes with Don as he snatched another cookie. His mentor sent him a wink and faced back to McGonagall. “Are you a vampire?” the boy whispered the last part.

“Sure am,” Ron sighed, he already bored with this conversation. 

“Really? That’s so cool,” Ron looked him, that was an unexpected response. “Your eyes are completely wicked.”

Harry hid a smile next to him him “thanks,” Ron said, a little bewildered. He was then bombarded with questions from the newest round of first years. The firsties had some guts.

xxx

_Dear Mum,_

_I know I don't usually write to you so soon after I've left for the Hogwarts express but I had a lot to tell you. The first bit is that the Tri-wizard cup was set to begin and you didn't tell us?! From how the Slytherin table looked, they knew all about it before we even heard everything. Anyway, another interesting news is that the Auror Mad-Eye Moody is going to teach Defense this year, he's kind of interesting looking, I guess. Okay now for the interesting questions, does our family have a history of seers? Any seer at all?_

_Your annoyed son for not telling me amazing news._

_Ron_

Xxx

The next morning, Ron had a mission to find all the club leaders so that they could get it approved by their professors. “Why don’t you start with Hufflepuff,” Harry said “I’ll bet Justin might be interested,”

“Hey, that’s an idea,” Ron agreed. He shook off his nervousness and went over to Hufflepuff. 

“Sorry,” Ron began and the Hufflepuff near Justin all turned to look at him. Some looked a bit frightened, Ron gave a slight smile trying to soften his eyes and not show his teeth. 

“Justin, could I talk with you for a second?” Ron said standing by the Hufflepuff table, Justin Finch-Fletchley turned to look at him as had Ernie Macmillian and Hannah Abbot. 

“Sure, Ron,” Justin stood, luckily he didn’t look scared at all “what’s up?” 

Ron explained the club he wanted to start and that he needed a friendly Hufflepuff. “Wow, you want me?” Justin asked as if he had no idea that he was friends with a lot of people. 

“Yeah, I need someone to make me look less scary. Not an easy job,” Ron said. 

Justin chuckled heartily “I don’t think you’re scary at all, in fact, I don’t think a lot of people do anymore. They’re more intimidated because you’re handsome,” he said. 

Ron laughed “that’s a good one, then you’ll do it?” he asked. 

“Yeah, it sounds great. You’re off to look for a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin then?” Justin asked. 

“That’s the plan” Ron replied, relieved that he now had a vice president. 

“Good luck then,” Justin said, “keep me posted.” Ron waved and went back to Gryffindor where Hermione was sitting now, putting butter on toast. 

“Good morning,” he said lowly behind her and she jumped. 

“Ron,” she said, her face flushing “don’t scare me like that,” she said. 

“Sorry,” Ron replied and sat next to Harry so he was between them. “I did it, Justin’s my vice president, thanks for the advice,” he told Harry, putting his arm around his shoulders and ruffling his hair.

“Glad to help,” Harry said shoving his hand off his but it didn’t seem to mind his arm. “Where’s your guard?” he asked. 

“Here somewhere, just hidden,” Ron shrugged, “they’ll come out if I need them to.”

“Hm,” Hermione said, they talked about their summers over breakfast some more. Ron was surprised again by a chocolate muffin that nobody else could touch. Inside was a bloody filling. 

After breakfast, they went off to class and Hermione turned the opposite direction to where they were going.

Hermione watched Ron walk to class with Harry, maybe now was her chance. “Um, Hattie?” she said, she had heard from them that when Ron called, they would be there. 

“Yes?” she jumped a bit and stared at the girl who had appeared like a mirage. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to ask in front of Ron but could you teach me how to, well, how to fight?” she asked.

“You want to learn?” Hattie asked. 

“I think I need to physically stronger,” she said.

“You think?” Zoey appeared beside Hattie, starting several first years. Harry was staring at her with wide eyes. “We can only help you if you’re sure, it’s not easy to train a beginner. You’re going to be exhausted and the only thing that’s going to make you keep going is your goal.”

Hermione nodded, she could do this, “Okay, just tell me what I need to be doing,” she said. 

Xxx

Their first-class was Herbology with Professor Sprout. As soon as Ron walked into the room, he felt rather nauseous and covered it with his sleeve. The smell wasn’t bad but damned it was strong, like his nose being struck like a needle. 

“What’s wrong?” Neville picked up on it. 

“The smell,” Ron muttered, he needed to find a way to plug himself up next time he had to deal with something like this. The boggart was the worst smell in DADA last year but Herbology had been another battle. 

“Yes, the smell deters a great many beings with particular keen senses,” Professor Sprout said “let’s see,” she walked to the back of her greenhouse and brought back a leaf.

“Wiffle Smoller,” she said holding it out to Ron who took it, perplexed “put it on your tongue, it will dull the scent. Next time, Mr. Weasley, might I suggest a nose plug? Or if you like this method, perhaps discovering a recipe for Wiffle Smoller gum?”

“Yes Professor,” he said taking it then placed it on his tongue, the taste was a bit like mint, and then it was nothing. His nose no longer burned and his nausea went away. “That’s brilliant,” he perked.

“Excellent,” she said then carried on with the beginning of class. This was super disgusting, squeezing the bubotubers and collecting the push that came out. Most people were wrinkling their nose. 

“Ugh,” Harry said.

“Disgusting,” Seamus agreed, matter-of-a-factly, equally revolted. “Thank Merlin I’ve got me mam’s clear complexion or I’d be rubbing this stuff on my face.”

“I had to last year,” Neville sighed “it is interesting to know where it came from but it’s not too pretty,” he said squeezing another to get the pus out.

“It smells too,” Ron said, “if I had to put it on my face, I’d be nauseous all day.”

“Do you get pimples?” Harry asked, searching his face but Ron knew he wouldn’t find anything. Ron’s face had been clear all year.

“No idea, haven’t had any yet,” Ron shrugged.

Xxx

Their next class, Care of Magical creatures made Ron’s nose once again burn. This was worse than a boggart, worse than bubotubers, and the scent of the Blast-Ended Screwts was putrid. 

Ron gagged once and then plugged in his nose but could still taste it in his mouth. Was today the day of exposing everyone to disgusting animals and plants?

“Er, Professor,” he said, his voice coming out nasally as he kept his hand firmly on his nose. 

“Yes, Ron?” Hagrid asked and Ron winced, he hated to disappoint him.

“Sorry, but I don’t think I can get through this lesson today. Could I go talk to Madam Pomfrey?” Ron asked. 

“Oh! Right, Ron, yer lookin a little green,” Hagrid said “yer dismissed.”

Ron was relieved as he grabbed his bag and ran up the pass, far away from the smelly creatures. He walked towards the castle wondering if he could ask Don, would he have class right now?

Thrusting the doors open he bumped into a girl, quite literally. If he weren’t so tall, they would have bashed heads but she simply bounced off his chest. He reached out and took her elbows to stop her backward descent. 

“Sorry,” Ron said, righting her then noticed she wasn’t wearing her shoes. 

“It’s quite alright but do you perhaps have wrackspurts floating around your head?” she asked, her voice airy and he tilted his head. “Ah, no my mistake, your eye line is simply much higher than mine,” she said. 

That was true, he was nearly two heads taller than her and he hung around Hermione. Their height difference was a bit comical “well, you are titchy, like my little sister,” Ron said then covered his mouth. 

He hadn’t meant to sound so rude, Don would have glared daggers. She laughed “Ginny is fairly tall, Ron Weasley,” she said. 

“You know Ginny then?” he asked. 

“Oh yes, she’s very kind to me when others poke fun. I expect they’ve stolen my shoes and not the nargles,” she said. She was an odd one, wasn’t she?

“Right,” Ron frowned, a bit perplexed “it’s pretty horrible to steal your shoes,” he said. 

“It’s typical of girls my age to tease, they haven’t yet figured out what’s hurtful,” she said.

“Is it?” Ron asked then looked at her closely. At the long pale blonde hair and her eyes. He remembers then that this was Luna Lovegood, she and Ginny used to play together. Ron did sometimes too but after her mother’s death, her father wanted to keep her close. Shut-in more like.

“Boys do too, don’t they?” she asked. 

“Yes but I don’t think they should,” Ron said and Luna smiled. 

“The girls are right, Ron Weasley, you are handsome and not because of your looks,” she said. He stared for a moment then flushed, how did you respond to that?

“Um,” he said. 

“Oh, you don’t need to reply,” Luna replied then bent down to pick up her bag. Ron picked up a book she’d dropped, it was a book called ‘Spells from the East: Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Enchantments’

“This an interesting read?” he asked as he handed it to her. 

She gestured he walk with her and he did “oh yes, Eastern spells are very powerful, ancient wards that have lasted several thousand years,” she said. 

“What makes them so powerful?” Ron asked. 

“Circles,” she said simply then took out a book from her bag. It was a white-backed journal, made of some sort of white hide and painted on, in ink was a circle with several symbols. It reminded Ron of the sort of thing he saw in Egypt, the intricacy. “It keeps people from stealing it, I don’t mind my shoes and things but I would rather keep this one around,” she explained. 

“What do they mean?” he asked. 

“They are Chinese characters, they are for the purpose. Muggles also use them but what they think is superstition is actually powerful. It’s called Feng Shui, muggles who use it are calling upon ancient magic,” she said. 

“And it works?” Ron asked, a little alarmed, “but isn’t that breaking the statute?”

“No, it’s undetectable, very slight differences in their life. Feng Shui is about wholeness, light, and dark energy meshing perfectly,” she said. 

“Light and dark,” Ron said thinking this was exactly what he needed to find. “A balance,” he said. “Say, Luna, what do you think of joining a club?” he asked. 

Xxx

Ron sits at the Slytherin table at dinner that day and next to Malfoy, or Draco now that they were friends. Ron wondered if they’d feel like friends soon, he saw something human in Draco. 

“Hi Draco,” he greeted.

“Already calling favors?” Draco asked suspiciously. “After you successfully ran away from our dear Professor’s monsters?”

“Good afternoon,” Pansy greeted him in a sing-song voice, pointedly ignoring Draco’s accusation.

“Afternoon, no-no. I wasn’t really asking for any favors,” Ron explained what he wanted to do with the club.

“And you want a Slytherin?” Draco asked. 

“Yes, obviously. I have to have all houses, leaving out Slytherin wouldn’t be fair,” Ron replied.

“So you want someone kind then? Draco and I are out then,” Pansy said. 

“You’re not what I was looking for,” Ron replied. “I think a first would cry” he admitted.

“Probably, hm,” Pansy thought for a moment “how about Tracey? Tracey Davis, she’s pretty quiet though,”

“She’s nice, gets on my nerves though,” Draco sighed. 

“Everyone who isn’t confrontational gets on your nerves, by all accounts you should be best friends with the Gryffindors,” Pansy commented with a sly smile. 

Draco crossed his arms with a tolerant expression, Ron smiled “it’s okay if she’s quiet, she’d be a treasurer,” he replied. 

“Perfect for her, she’s on the other end,” Draco said gesturing at the other end of the table. 

“Great, thank you,” Ron said, getting up.

“See you in Potions tomorrow,” Pansy called and Ron nodded. 

Tracey Davis was a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes. “Excuse me, Tracey Davis?” Ron asked and she turned. Her face turned red, “um could I talk you for a second?” he asked. 

“What do you want?” Millicent Bulstrode glared at him.

“Shh, it’s okay Millie,” Tracey said standing up.

“Oh, we don’t need to go anywhere if you don’t want to,” Ron said then began explaining his club idea. “It’d be great if you would agree to be the treasurer, Draco and Pansy said you’d be perfect.”

“Really? I don’t know, I don’t like talking in front of people,” Tracey said. 

“You wouldn’t need to, that’s for the President and vice president. You’re just in charge of funds and procuring things for the club,” Ron explained. 

“Well, okay, that sounds great then,” she said looking relieved. Ron felt relieved himself since he figured that Slytherin would be the most difficult to convince someone to be the club’s heads. 

He was elated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll with these chapters and ideas for how I want this story to go. To be honest, I'm going to stay close to canon until a point, after this part of the fic, I don't know where I'll go with it. 
> 
> Give me some feedback: 
> 
> would you be annoyed if I veered far from the original events, can I accelerate the timing of the war to be a little early. At this point, I'd like the major finishing to be after the events in Goblet of Fire.
> 
> I don't really want this to be a fix it, more like an alternate timeline. What would happen if this happened, what would come of it? What if Umbridge had been taken out early in the fifth year, what happens to the Dursley's, Cedric's life if he lives and if Draco refused the dark mark. 
> 
> Please, please review though, the more I get the more ideas I have and I'll write more often.


	9. Center of Attention

After he hung out with his friends at dinner, he walked upstairs to their room. He shed his heavy cloak in favor of a t-shirt and some running shorts. He didn’t bring his shoes.

He figured his routine would shift to a night time run instead of morning. It wasn’t quite dark yet but with the silver cuffs on his wrist, it would be fine. “Where are you going?” Seamus asked. 

“On a run,” Ron replied stretching.

“With no shoes?” Neville asked. 

“I’ll be back eventually but y’know,” Ron said, it was too much work to explain how his mentor decided he need to toughen his feet.

“Don’t wait, yeah I'm aware,” Harry sighed “just y’know don’t get eaten by the giant squid running around the lake, alright?”

Ron laughed “they wouldn’t, I’d taste terrible,” he said then headed out the portrait hole and down the stairs. His feet were tough as nails from running barefoot all the time so he never felt pebbles or anything really. 

“Mr. Weasley,” McGonagall said. 

“Hello Professor,” he said “just um going on a run,” he said. Then wondered if his mentor had mentioned it to her that he was to be allowed to do this. 

“Yes, Donovan has told us. You are fortunate to be the only student I don’t remove points for being out of their house and bed at night,” she said. 

“Well I am the only vampire student, Professor,” Ron replied. 

“True,” she said, “well off you go.”

Ron nodded then went down the stairs and out the door. His run lasted about thirty minutes with about 15 laps around the lake. He did his routine than with the whip and ended it with stretches. “Hattie, Zoey,” he said and they blinked into his sights. “You have got to show me how you do that,” he said. 

“It’s similar to wizard disillusionment charms,” Zoey shrugged.

“Did you need something?” Hattie asked. 

“Could you look for something at the library for me? Leave a note of what you took though for the librarian,” Ron said standing up and waving his wand for a quick refresher charm. This would help him cool down and be relatively clean before he took a bath later. 

“I’ll go, what are you looking for?” Zoey asked. 

“Look for books on Eastern magic, Feng Shui maybe, and anything with Japan, Korea, and China in the title would include them. I’ll take ten books if there are that many,” he said. 

“Yes, your highness,” Zoey said then blinked out, hidden from him again but he could feel her presence until it wavered with her walking away. He flushed, he could never get used to being called that. 

Xxx

Ron was pleased when Zoey came with a large stack of books and Don raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m curious,” Ron announced.

“Perfectly acceptable but I seem to recall a boy from a year ago being dismayed at the thought of books,” Don replied then sip his tea and a smiled. 

Ron flushed “I’m not Hermione but this is important, this could help us,” he said. He picked up the first book which was ‘Japanese Magic Circles: Ancient Wards.’ 

He cracked it open and started reading, he didn’t remember how long it had been exactly when he’d finished the second book but he set it down. “Why isn’t this stuff common practice?” he asked. 

“You’ll have to be a tad more specific,” Don said.

Ron strode to a chalkboard and drew the basic circle he’d seen. “This is like Arithmancy, numbers that multiply by each other are directed in shapes that fill the circle. If they are done right, they can be added to objects that can be used without casting anything,” 

“How so?” Don asked. 

Ron took out his wand, pointed at the fire “aguamenti,” the fire sputtered, doused in water. He quickly dried the wood and took out a piece of parchment for his journal. He folded the paper as instructed in the book then drew the symbol for Fire. 

He took a deep breath then threw it into the fire, it instantly sparked and the fire was as strong as before he’d doused it. “Instant magic,” he said “the concept is incredible, the idea of infusing magic into a piece of paper,” he said. 

“Do you recall Ayumu Okajima, Ron? The Japanese Minister of Magic?” Don asked. 

Ron nodded, it was hard to forget the man. He was quite old and short but his magical strength was amazing. “Wait, he used paper when he summoned those um, the foxes, what were they called again?”

“Kitsune,” Hattie supplied “they purify substances and air.”

“Yes, exactly, he is an Onmyoji. Their style of magic is holistic, Yin and Yang, Wuxing,” he said. 

“Wuxing?” Ron asked. 

“Five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. All go into each other to create balance. They use those concepts and most of all, they use something called shikigami,” he said. 

“The kitsune,” Ron said. 

“Yes,” Don nodded to him “shiki are creatures invisible to most, even the most powerful wizards, but with powerful practicers of Onmyodo, they can be made physical and take form. Minister Okajima is one of the most powerful Onmyoji in the world.

“Could I learn something from him? Would he teach me?” Ron immediately asked. 

Don sighed “if there was time this year, I would say yes. For now, you just need to ask Sol,” he said. 

“Sol?” Ron asked, “then he is coming, wait why?”

“Sol became fascinated with this very subject, he’ll be ecstatic that you want to learn. He surprised Okajima and made Japanese connections when he asked to be taught by him. Sol has frequented Japan since he was eleven,” Don explained. 

Ron was stunned but all he could say was “brilliant.”

XXX

Dear Ron,

I am sorry that we had to keep the tournament a secret from you but your father may have gotten in trouble if it leaked before the right time. Anyway, Alastor Moody is teaching defense? What has Dumbledore got in mind? He’s caused such a headache for your father recently, it’s ridiculous with floating trash cans and like! Also, you should thank that man regardless of his odd personality, he was the one who brought you into the hospital when you got bitten. Otherwise, who knows if you would have survived your turning without the proper preparations. 

About your last question, it came out of the blue. Did that Trelawney Professor fill your head up with strange accusations? I’ve heard she is a bit, well, a bit strange. But the facts are that yes, my family, the Prewitt’s have a few seers in the family. Not the kind that spits out a prophecy here and there. My grandmother had visions but she never spoke a word of what she saw in them. I wonder to this day if it was about the war back then. 

If you need more information, there’s likely to be an ancestry book at Hogwarts. Stay out of trouble, keep your grades, and have fun this year!

Love, Mum

Xxx

“Ron,” he jerked a bit when Harry dropped next to him on the couch. “Ah, you are awake. I wondered if you got lost and I’d have to pick up your brain somewhere,” Harry said.

“My brain?” Ron asked then he finally snapped out of it “sorry, mum just wrote me back a letter about the um…”

“Seer stuff,” he said quietly.

“Yeah,” Ron said “but she mentioned something I didn’t know, Professor Moody, he was the one who carried me to the hospital when I got attacked,” he said. 

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Harry said “I met the other lady, Tonks I think when I went to visit but not him.”

“Yeah, but I wonder why he never said anything to me. He didn’t seem to know me,” Ron said. 

“Maybe he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Harry said “or he’s done so many cases, they blur together?” 

“Yeah, maybe,” Ron agreed “well, anyway, the seer thing,” he said quietly and handed it to Harry. 

Xxx

“Here it is, Tiadora Jane Prewitt,” Hermione pushed the door to Harry and Ron who nearly bumped their heads together to get a look. Hermione, being her, discovered something better than a genealogy book. She found a book on recorded seers within known wizarding families. 

Ron stared at his great grandmother. She was young in the portrait and she looked off to the right with a smile. Her hair, red like most Prewitt’s was worn long over her shoulder. “You look alike, Ron,” Hermione said. 

“The hair, yeah,” Ron said. 

“Her face too, long nose, her eye shape, and she’s also quite slender, isn’t she. You look a lot like her,” Hermione said

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Ron smiled and his great grandmother Tiadora seemed to look straight ahead this time at him. Her eyes were hazel and looked quite serious as opposed to the rest of the face.

“It says here that were no recorded prophecies but that she deposited memories to the Ministry which predicted the rise of you-know-who,” Hermione read.

Ron nodded then paused when he saw the clock, they’d been looking for a couple of hours and doing homework. “Shoot, I need to go meet the other members. We’re officially starting on Saturday,” he said grabbing his bag. 

“Good luck then, I’ll just check the books out for later,” Hermione said. 

“Thanks, Hermione, you’re brilliant,” Ron said “bye Harry,” he added then ran off. Harry stretched in his seat and noted several girls jumped aside as he went down the hall. 

They watched him then turned to their friends and giggled. “He’s popular this year,” Harry mentioned. “No wonder though, he grew like a foot over summer.”

“Harry,” Hermione said and he looked at her, “you grew too, you know,” she said.

“Not like he did,” Harry crossed his arms, why couldn’t he be tall like Ron? “I’m the shortest boy in my year,” he said.

“You’ll catch up,” Hermione said in a voice that was clearly placating him. “You’ve always been popular so he can have a little bit of attention.”

“I’m not” Harry replied, he wasn’t angry just irritated “I’m famous but that doesn’t mean anyone actually likes me.”

Hermione stared at him her jaw dropped then took out a magazine and rolled it up then smacked him on the head with it. “Ouch, what was that?” Harry asked. 

“Ron likes you, I like you, the whole Weasley family likes you. Your friends with all your housemates so don’t be so stupid,” she smacked him again with the rolled magazine, this one really smarted on his arm.

Harry slumped “okay, sorry. I’m just…”

“Jealous,” she finished with an expect glance for him to contradict her. Harry flushed, okay so he was a little jealous but not exactly for Ron getting attention in general. Ron was tall like he wanted to be and he had wide shoulders. He was the kind of good looking he would never be, he wasn’t lanky and dashing like Cedric Diggory either.

“Fine, but it’s not because-”

“You like Cho,” Hermione said and he blushed. “Ron doesn’t know, he’s not good at stuff like that. He doesn’t even notice the attention girls at this school pay him. He thinks people are still scared of him.”

Harry sighed “that’s our Ron,” he said and she laughed then set the magazine down.  
Xxx

Harry was impressed with the way Ron was going around the school recruiting people for his club with surprising ease. At the same time though, the teachers were picking up the pace with school work. 

The club was a roaring success with people showing up even just to be able to socialize and get help with their studies. The school was looking a lot cleaner by the way since the staff was trying to get it in top shape. 

“I just can’t believe the Slytherin’s are actually playing nice,” Harry mentioned to Ron after their club dismissed before dinner. The club room was big with tables, open spaces, floor cushion,s and couches. Plenty of space for any sort of activity, well except for outdoor ones.

“Well, it wasn’t easy,” Ron agreed “it took a bit of pushing them in the right direction. They won’t go on the defensive if you don’t start anything with them. We worked out a club guide to start a conversation when there’s disagreement.”

“I’m beginning to see some real differences, Ron,” Hermione said. “Really, I saw a group of first-year girls talking, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor all together. 

“Hopefully it stays that way,” Ron said “If we get enough attendance regularly, we’ll extend so that it becomes an open club every day. Show up whenever you want until curfew. Then we’ll have to rotate leadership so someone is always there.”

They gathered their bags and headed for the Great Hall. “Mr. Weasley,” they all paused when Professor McGonagall turned a corner. “Just who I wanted to speak to,” she said.

“Me?” Ron asked.

“Of course, who else? Come along, Mr. Weasley,” Professor McGonagall said and Ron turned to them. 

“I’ll see you at dinner,” Ron said and they both nodded. Ron followed her as she made her way to her office.

“It has come to my attention that you are incredibly proficient in French,” she said. 

“I’m not bad,” Ron replied. 

“Please leave modesty at the door, Mr. Weasley, this is pertinent as I am requesting that you be a Hogwarts ambassador for the Beauxbatons students,” she said strictly. 

“Oh,” Ron said “then I suppose I speak it well enough for casual conversation. So long as I’m not reading French,” he said “but my mentor, he speaks French too.”

“He also speaks Hungarian which is why we need him for that task. As far as I am told, many of the students all speak a passable amount of English. But if you would be so kind as to offer assistance in French as needed,” her strict gaze made it obvious he wouldn’t be allowed to refuse.

“Sure but what I be doing, Professor?”

“Hogwarts is quite a large place and confusing. The students will be taking some our courses while they are here so directions and the occasional translating maybe be needed.”

“Sure,” Ron agreed.  
Xxx

Ron had been so busy the past week with the club starting and other projects that he hadn’t noticed that the date for dropping a magazine article had come. 

So one day he goes to breakfast one morning and a thousand eyes are on him. Ron swallows when he noticed his face smiling on the cover for Of Importance magazine. He sits between Hermione and Harry, his face going red. 

“She’s singing praises Ron,” Hermione said flipping through her copy of the magazine. 

“You bought it?” Ron asked, mortified. 

“Of course I did, Ron,” she said as if annoyed he would think otherwise “I wanted to see what she would say.”

“A polyglot in the making, the Crown Prince of the Vampires is gifted in language,” Fred’s voice was in his left ear.

“He’s only fourteen years old and he is already conversationally fluent in French and Romanian,” George said. 

Ron blushed, his face feeling like it would explode “stop it,” he said standing up trying to grab the magazine Fred held, he handed it off to Ginny who backed up.

“He’s the most charming fourteen-year-old I have ever had the pleasure of meeting,” Ginny said then laughed.

“You know I had to do that interview,” Ron said. 

“We know but this is brilliant, it’s gold,” George said.

“Shut up,” Ron said, he was glaring now and he didn’t care how much his eyes glowed. If it stopped them from making fun of him. It took them a good twenty minutes of teasing before they had to get to class. 

“They’re just jealous,” Hermione said, “it’s a good thing that it was announced this way.”

“They’re never gonna let me live it down,” Ron moaned, covering his face in his hands.

Xxx

Hermione slumped onto the mat feeling awfully, terribly weak “it’s alright, we didn’t expect you to be strong immediately,” Hattie comforted her. She’d set up Hattie and Zoey to train her to be able to fight. 

“I can’t even do a push-up!” she said miserably. She had never been athletic, admittedly but despite the constant exercise of stair climbing and lots of walking around the castle, it didn’t help her strength.

“Lots of people can’t so we’ll find another way for you to get arm strength,” Zoey said, surprisingly she was straight forward and icy. “We’ll start with weights, this isn’t just the beginning so chin up,” she said. 

“Yes and give it a few months you’ll be doing push-ups one-handed,” Hattie said confidently. 

Hermione nodded though she felt miserable “I’ve just never been so… so awful at anything before. Well, maybe DADA sometimes but…” she said standing up. Her legs felt wobbly and her stomach was killing her. She needed a shower. 

“The best things in life are difficult,” Zoey said.

“Zoey would know,” Hattie said “she chose to become a vampire with me when I was turned, she didn’t want me to be alone. You know before we decided to move to the castle, she ran three miles every day to go get our blood. I was still weak from being turned, it takes a little bit of time to recovery when you were sick as a human,” she explained. 

Zoey flushed “she makes it sound more amazing than it really is, I think I did something selfish, I didn’t want her to leave me,” she said. 

“That’s pretty amazing, still,” Hermione said smiling.

“Having a goal might help you, we can write it down. Start small, how about in two weeks you’ll be able to do 10 push-ups in under a minute,” Hattie said. 

Hermione nodded though she was apprehensive “what if I can’t, though?” she asked. 

“Then we’ll try again and set a new goal,” Zoey said “Einstein always said that failure is success in progress,” she said. 

Hermione beamed at her “I forgot, you were muggles before you were vampires,” she said. “Yes! You are absolutely right, okay then what’s next?” she asked. 

“That’s the spirit, here let’s not focus on how tired you are. Let’s talk about something?” Hattie said, her bubbly personality shining through. 

“Hm, I wondered but do you miss tv?” Hermione asked. 

“Nope,” Zoey said with a smile “we have it, at Nacht castle, one of our muggle-born witches turned vampire figured out how to charm them to work.”

“No way,” Hermione said. 

“Way,” Zoey inclined her head “we ah maybe packed a tv in a suitcase for here?”

“Do you have any movies?” Hermione asked ecstatic, her heart soaring “I’ve been dying to watch some 80s movies,” she said. 

“We have Back To The Future,” Hattie supplied helpfully. 

“Tonight, we’re watching it, so glad I did my homework early,” Hermione said. They both agreed and had Hermione do arm raises.

Xxx

Ron made it a point to talk to his new Slytherin friends when he found the time. He spotted Malfoy sitting on a window sill after his last class of the day.

He had his eyes closed making Ron wonder if he was asleep. But he opened them again and look to his side “Weasley, hello,” he said with a sigh.

“Hi Draco, long night?” Ron wondered. 

“Extremely, I’ve been up late doing my Arithmancy homework. It’s my worst subject.”

“I always thought that’d be Care of Magical Creatures,” Ron admitted. 

“That- that uh professor… isn’t my favorite but the subject is easy,” Draco struggled to keep talking about Hagrid without insulting his friend. 

“I know you think Hagrid is an idiot but he really does know his stuff when it comes to magical creatures. He just picks really questionable animals sometimes,” Ron said. 

“Let’s not get into it,” Draco said. “I have a question, why are so nice all of a sudden?”

“Nice?” Ron asked. 

“You hate me, or you did hate me. Potter almost certainly still hates me. I tried to get that monstrous hippogriff killed, got you into detention, been pretty uh antagonistic most of our school years,” Draco explained. 

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Ron admitted and Draco glared “You won’t like my answer,” he said. 

“Delicacy if for the weak,” Draco said, “Slytherin’s are blunt, feelings are worthless,” he said. 

“You say that but I think you feel a lot of things you don’t want to. I just discovered that we have something in common, you feel unimportant,” Ron said. If Draco wanted blunt, he’d give it to him. 

Draco swallowed looking a little pained “I didn’t mean for it all to come out when I fought with Granger,” he said. 

“Hermione knows how to push the right buttons when she feels attacked,” Ron explained. “Is that why you kept your mouth closed about me?”

“I figured if we both had dirt on the other... I close my mouth and you close yours,” Draco crossed his arms.

“Right,” Ron said understanding now “I don’t think your self worth should come from your blood purity,” he said. Draco hands clasped together “you wanted blunt, so I’m giving it to you as your friend,” he added.

He wondered how far he could go, how close to the chest could he take this without Draco walking away. “Your father treats you like your a pet instead of his son,” he admitted. 

Draco tensed, his eyes burning brightly and Ron wasn’t sure if he’d receive a retaliation. “I can’t do anything about that, I’m a disappointment.”

“Why?” Ron asked in a whisper, just a tiny bit relieved. 

“I… was born too early, my mother had a miscarriage her first child. I was the second but I was too weak the first five years of my life. My magic isn’t strong enough, our family magic is dying out,” he said.

Ron couldn’t believe he was hearing this from Draco, that he was trusted enough with this kind of information. “Is it that your magic isn’t strong enough or that he told you it isn’t?” 

“What?” Draco asked. 

“I’ve seen you bring some potions that made Snape actually almost smile. You’ve done some pretty nasty but amazing hexes to my friends before. So I don’t know if your magic is a problem at all. You seem to have enough to me.”

Draco stared at him “I can’t do practical magic well, the only things I’m actually good at don’t require me to flick my wand. I learned those spells because I practiced them over and over again,” he said. 

“I’ll bet Hermione could help,” Ron said. “Listen, she doesn’t gossip and she can keep a secret. She won’t hold it against you, she’s got a soft spot for people who want to learn. I wasn’t good at spells either until I realized that I was sabotaging myself.”

“I called Granger a mu- er, well you know. What stops her from giving me the wrong advice so I end up worse off?”

“An apology,” Ron said. A few pauses.

“Maybe, don’t expect us to be friends, we’ll be civil but that’s it.”

Xxx

“You’re in Arithmancy right?” Hermione paused to look at Draco Malfoy, she stared at him.

“Considering I’ve seen you in my classes, yes, I am in Arithmancy lessons,” she said slowly. Malfoy turned pink.

“Right well, do you think that I could work on it here?” Draco asked pointing at the table. 

“I suppose that since intercourse relations is the goal here, yes you can,” Hermione replied diplomatically, she wasn’t sure what exactly his goal was. 

Malfoy sat down and took out his textbook and his notebook and homework. They worked for a few minutes before Malfoy “How are doing in Arithmancy? Is it a foreign concept?” he asked.  
Hermione tensed then glared at him “I think you’ll that Arithmancy is like basic mathematics in the muggle world. So I’m quite comfortable with the concept” she said hotly.

Malfoy looked startled at her harsh reply and she realized that maybe what he said wasn’t what he meant. “Oh, well, it’s foreign to me,” he stood up about to pack his things. 

“Wait,” she said, “I think I misunderstood something, would you sit down?” He sank into his chair, his face flushed and his face reminded her of Ron when he was humiliated by his siblings. “Did you want my help in Arithmancy?”

“Not if you’re going to attack me by stating its simplicity, I don’t appreciate being called stupid,” Malfoy said tersely. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that. I thought you were making another jab at me being muggle-born,” Hermione said openly. She felt a little thrill in her heart, they were actually communicating with each other. 

“Weas- I mean, Ron made it clear that if I mentioned your blood status in his presence again I would find myself hexed. And regardless of your status, your intelligence is impressive,” Malfoy said like it pained him to say so. 

“Thank you,” Hermione said with a smile, it wasn’t quite an outright compliment but it was close enough. 

“And I… will not use that term again as an apology,” Malfoy added.

“I’m sorry too,” she said and he turned to look at her “yes, I did say some pretty awful assumptions at the Quidditch World cup,” she said. 

“They may not have nice but they didn’t make it less true,” Malfoy muttered “well, can we just drop this. Here, I’m Draco, your classmate.”

“Hermione,” she said then offered her hand which Draco took and kissed her hand. She flushed. 

“I always forgot that only purebloods do that,” Draco said, “well, um.”

“Just tell me what you’d like my help on and we’ll work on it,” Hermione said. 

Xxx

Harry felt far behind Ron even with all of his best friend telling him it wasn’t true that he was better at spell work. It was Ron was casting a long shadow behind him and Harry was just trying to catch the shadow. 

Was this how Ron felt being Harry’s best friend? Harry felt a swell of pride that Ron was so loyal to him and felt the need to give that back. If he was so good at DADA like Ron insisted then he needed to prove it to himself.

He’d gotten by with just learning the spells everyone else knew, he was just a little better than others at managing them. Wasn’t there a bunch of saying when he was in muggle primary school about talent never measuring up to talent?

Harry made his way to the library and chose three books on advanced defensive spells. He’d felt pretty useless last winter in Nacht Castle, he wouldn’t let it happen again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the tags to say that Ron/Hermione will be endgame. What happens in between maybe a bit of experimenting but let's be honest, Ron has always known who he truly wants.
> 
> Okay so, I agonized for a long time how to fit Draco believably into the story without him looking like an angel. Because obviously he's been pretty horrible, not gonna lie. You can't tell me you didn't see this coming? 
> 
> Next is where Hermione works on her physical fitness. Harry will likely join since there's no Quidditch this year and Ron's a vampire, I need to level the playing field. Characters I'm intrigued by to add into the story that will or may be making an appearance or already have:  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Pansy Parkinson  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Luna Lovegood (imagine the disastrous combination of Luna and Draco! XD)  
> Neville Longbottom (this hottie not being in my story as a major role? no no no)  
> Fleur Delacour  
> Viktor Krum  
> Severus Snape (unavoidable really)  
> Dumbledore (Also unavoidable)


	10. Chapter 10

As the days grew closer to the other school getting there, people eventually lost most of the interest in Ron. He was relieved to be able to sit without being stared at.

Ron was excited about the day that the students were going to be arriving. He missed Sol and his sassy nature. And that meant soon, the Tri-Wizard Tournament would begin.

Madame Maxime was a very large woman just like the flying horses she brought with her. As all the students filed out behind her, Ron grinned at Sol who spotted him in the crowd. Sol smirked and winked. 

A bunch of girls near him giggled “I think he winked at me,” Lavender said.

“Really, I thought it was me,” Ron rolled his eyes thinking how devastated they would be finding out Sol wasn’t and would never be interested. 

The Beauxbatons wore powder blue in various styles. Sol wore a light grey slacks, white shirt, and silk blue vest with the Beauxbatons crest (two golden wands crossed.) A blonde girl, one of the most beautiful he’d ever seen, about the twins age bent to his height and whispered in his ear. She glanced at Ron.

Sol nodded to her and Ron wondered what they were talking about. His gaze was elsewhere when he heard something off in the distance. “Screwts,” Harry commented and Ron turned to him.

“Oh,” Ron said when he recalled Dumbledore tell Madam Maxime. Ron smirked when Seamus commented on how big did they think the Durmstrang horses would be. 

It was getting a bit cold as they waited for Durmstrang, Ron was glad he opted for his thicker, velvet lined cloak. He looked at the lake “I hear something,” Ron said.

“Where?” Harry asked. 

“Lake,” Ron said then moments later everyone could hear it and bubbles appeared at the surface of the lake and a great big ship burst out of the water. Everyone was enamored with the look of it. 

When Karkaroff emerged Ron couldn’t stop his narrowed gaze. “Ron,” Hermione gripped his arm “just play along,” she said quiet enough that no one else can hear. It was a testament to her research that she knew he could. 

Ron closed his eyes and breathed, he moved his arms so that her grip loosened. He took her hands in his and squeezed before he let go. He was calm because she was there with him.

And then his eyes were wide when he caught a glimpse of Viktor Krum. “It’s Krum,” he said, his heart soaring “do you have a quill?” he asked Hermione who huffed. 

“He’s just a Quidditch player,” she said and Ron disagreed. Honestly, this woman! The best seeker in the world and she has no bloody interest at all? They walked towards the great hall, most of Durmstrang sat at the Slytherin table. Beauxbatons at Ravenclaw. 

Sol was giving Ron a look that he couldn’t quite decipher “what?” Ron mouthed. 

“Come here,” he mouthed back then pointed at the ground.

Ron shook his head “give it a minute,” he told him. 

And sure enough, Dumbledore was saying his thanks for coming. “Better go see what Sol wants,” Ron told his friends at the table. 

“Who?” Seamus asked. 

“The other Prince, he’s Professor Grey’s son,” Harry replied and Ron walked over to the Ravenclaw table.

“I just got here and you’re already making orders,” Ron told Sol, his friend stood up from the table then hugged him, and kissed both cheeks. 

“I missed you, stupid,” Sol told him in Romanian. Probably to deter anyone else from eavesdropping. They did have a bit of audience, quite a people from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor seem to choke a bit at the kiss. 

Considering Sol’s tendency to be dramatic and wanting to show off, Ron didn’t bat an eyelash though his ears reddened. He simply hugged him and when they parted said “me too but next time, mention that we’ll see each other again before you just take off.”

“It was fun,” Sol shrugged “also did you see the look on everyone’s faces when I kissed you. British are so fun to tease,” he said. Ron stared at him then pinched his cheek “ouch,” he tugged still “I’m sorry,” Sol whined taking his wrist, he let go. 

Sol rubbed his cheek, the girl he was sitting next stood and Ron was surprised to find her taller than him a couple of inches. “You are Ron?” she asked, her French accent was apparent.

“That’s me,” Ron replied, flushing at her deep, blue-eyed stare.

“You ‘ave very pretty eyes,” she said offering her hand which he took, despite her delicate features she had a good grip. “I am Fleur Delacour.”

“Er thank you,” he said, “Ron Weasley.”

“You speak French?” she asked switching to her language “I’m not very good at expressing myself in English yet,” she admitted.

“Oui, I can manage well enough,” he replied switching to French, thanks to Sol refusing to talk to him in anything else during the summer months, he could speak it as well as Romanian. 

“I read the French copy for Of Importance, so it is true you can speak three languages,” she said. “Since you speak French so well, will you look out for my classmates, they are nervous about their classes,

Ron nodded, unused to have to look up at girls besides Angelina Johnson and a very small number of seventh-year girls. “I’m an ambassador for Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, let them know if they need anything..”

“To come to you, yes. Thank you,” she smiled, she practically glowed and Ron wondered if she was a veela, or part veela or something. 

“Well you better get to your table before you distract more people,” Sol said. 

“You are the distraction,” Ron said with a heavy-lidded stare and raised eyebrows. “I’ll see you at around midnight?” he asked him, back in English without even noticing he did. 

“See you then,” Sol agreed.

“I’ll see around, Ron,” Fleur said.

When Ron sat down, everyone nearby was staring at him “can I help you?”

“Are you and uh that guy together?” Neville asked “not that it would matter,” he hastened to add. “Or, are they a she?

Ron should have expected that Sol’s show would make people wonder. He opened his mouth to reply when Hermione answered for him. “Of course not,” Hermione said, a bit higher than a usual volume. “I mean,” she adjusted her volume “you don’t know him but Sol likes to put on a show.” She turned to Ron “right?!”

“Right,” Ron said, a little startled “Sol is like my mischievous brother.”

“Sure is lucky then,” Dean said glancing at Fleur “that girl next to him is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“I think she might be veela,” Ron replied.

“She is not,” Hermione huffed.

“Fine, half then,” Ron amended “sorry but girls, even the prettiest ones, don’t attract that much attention by existing,” he said. 

“Oh, I’ll keep that in mind,” Hermione huffed and Ron looked to meet Harry’s gaze but he was distracted, gazing at the Ravenclaw table but nowhere near Fleur. What was his deal?

Soon, Dumbledore was standing up and the plates were cleared. Ron watched with rapt attention as Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch were introduced and the Goblet was presented. 

The twins especially looked excited, already plotting ways to manage entry into the tournament. “If you could enter, would you?” Harry asked him “physically, you might have an advantage,” he said. 

“Yeah but I’m average on spell work. I don’t know any more spells than you do,” Ron replied, “actually, no you’ve got me beat on Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“Really?” Harry said, “I would have thought Don would be teaching you all sorts of special vampire techniques or something.”

“Most vampires don’t have magic like we do, though,” Ron pointed out. 

“That’s right, then it’s most physical training?” Hermione asked. 

“Besides the obvious bits of politics and things, yeah. But I might be learning something interesting from Sol soon if he agrees,” Ron said, thinking about the magic circles and onmyoji’s.

“You’ll show us then, right?” he asked. 

“Course,” Ron agreed.

Xxx

Ron was unsurprised to find Sol sitting with Don in their little room with a fireplace and couches. “I was telling Sol you wanted to learn about magic circles,” Don said.

“Yeah?” Ron asked.

“I suppose I can teach you,” Sol said “but I have a condition,” he said. 

“Shoot,” Ron crossed his arms.

“You have to learn Spanish,” Sol said.

His jaw dropped “I’m up to my neck in French, Romanian, and English! Half the time I don’t remember which language I’m actually speaking” Ron said.

“But you speak perfect Romanian and French,” Sol said, “you can read decently well in Romanian and your French is good enough to read a magazine.”

That was true, he could read most things in French and Romanian. It wasn’t terribly difficult. “That’s like two Romance languages, so Spanish should be easy,” Sol encouraged. 

“Isn’t three enough?” Ron asked. 

“Maybe I just want to talk to you in my language?” Sol said Ron stared at the ceiling. 

“Spanish?” Ron asked “fine, why not,” he said, already regretting everything. 

Xxx

Percy decided that Lester was a very good assistant, the man was tall and that was by his family’s standards. Bill wasn’t exactly small. The man was efficient and quick, a quick read, and remembered everything.

“Sorry, did you mention before that you couldn’t get a job?” Percy asked. “Why not?” he did understand how because the man was top notch with his skills. 

“The ministry has regulations that make it impossible,” Lester had told him, his bright yellow eyes darkening at the admission. Percy dove into those regulations and was outraged on the behalf of the skilled assistant and his little brother.

The laws went something like this:

“In reference to Beings (or half wizard/witch)  
Species thus forth titled as:  
Vampire  
Werewolf  
Goblin  
Veela  
Giant   
(Extended on page 357)

The beings aforementioned when working under the ministry and thus are subject to its laws must announce their status as a Being or half wizard/witch upon initial interview. Failure to announce their blood status may result in immediate dismissal upon a background check.”

Percy became more disgusted when he read further that the person who is hiring was allowed to turn down the Being if they felt they didn’t feel safe around this person due to their status. “This is just blatantly specist,” Percy said. 

“Makes sense when you think about how Dumbledore has a lot of Beings at Hogwarts then, right?” Lester agreed. Percy hadn’t thought about it that way, of course, Hagrid was fairly obvious he was part giant. He knew Professor Flitwick was something like a quarter Goblin. And his Professor, the best deference teacher they’d ever had at Hogwarts, was a werewolf. 

And now, Ron’s mentor was a vampire. “Dumbledore doesn’t really ask about that sort of thing, he knows but I guess he doesn’t judge them on their species,” Percy said. 

Percy was even more determined to change those laws, there needed a no-discrimination policy put in place. The main problem was that Fudge was run by Lucious Malfoy.

“Lester?” Percy paused in what he was doing to look up, he found a woman about thirty or so walking into their office. “Oh, sorry,” she smiled a little, she looked sort of Asian.

“He just stepped out,” Percy said.

“You must be Percy,” she said brightly, her sleek black hair had a purple stripe in it. She wore a white tunic-like dress “I’m Maria, Lester’s girlfriend,” she said. 

“Oh, pleasure,” Percy greeted her, his eyes unconsciously zoomed to her neck. It had two bite marks on the right side of her neck.

“I like them,” Maria said and Percy snapped his attention to her face again, he flushed.

“What?” he asked. 

“The marks, Lester can heal them you know. In an instant but I ask him not to,” she said. 

Percy tilted his head, that was interesting “why?”

“Because I’m not ashamed that I’m dating a vampire, I don’t care what he is just that he’s mine. Also, I kind of like the pain that comes with the bite. The sex is mindblowing,” she tossed her hair and Percy choked. 

“You are like Lester’s polar,” Percy said. 

She laughed. 

Xxx

Ron was laughing so hard he felt like he would bust a gut at the sight of twins sporting beards as long as Dumbledore’s. “That was brilliant,” he said sitting back on the steps around the cup, quite a lot of people were. 

“I quite agree with you there, why don’t you try it out Weasley, I mean Ron,” he turned to find Draco standing there. Harry almost seemed to glare but seemed to remember that they weren’t really enemies. 

“No thanks, I don’t fancy a white beard would go with my coloring,” Ron said with a smirk. 

“So, the latest gossip, give it here,” Draco said. 

“I thought you didn’t gossip?” Ron asked and he rolled his eyes then looked expectant. 

“Let’s see, so far we know Cedric Diggory, Angelina Spinnette” Hermione volunteered to name those who put their name in the cup so far. 

“We can’t have a Slytherin competitor,” Seamus said.

“Why not?” Draco asked, frowning “Slytherin has a lot of great people that could win it.”

“No, it has to be Gryffindor, Slytherin’s would just run away,” Seamus said now facing Draco. Dean looked unsure how to break them up, they weren’t actually fighting yet. 

Ron opened his mouth but Hermione covered it then shot him a look. He raised his eyebrows and she lowered it. “Oh yes because that is definitely the trait of a Slytherin, ambitious but a bunch of cowards. That how you feel?”

“You sure haven’t convinced anyone otherwise,” Seamus replied. Draco looked almost hurt but lifted his chin with a glare.

“Well you haven’t convinced me that Gryffindor's aren’t stupid,” Draco said then winced.

Ron couldn’t keep quiet anymore “okay, that’s enough, Seamus. Stop provoking Draco,” he said patting Draco on the shoulder. “I think a Champion from any house would be great, who cares which one. It’s Hogwarts pride on the line right now, not house pride,” he said. 

“He just called us stupid,” Seamus said. 

“Right, I retract my statement and just call you stupid. Ron and G- Hermione are intelligent, Potter’s passable,” Draco said. 

“Thanks?” Harry said quizically.

Seamus glared at Draco and walked away “sorry about him, he’s ah redirecting his anger at you guys. It’s not really personal,” Dean said then made to follow Seamus.

“Well, as fun as that was, I’m gonna go,” Harry said.

“Same,” Draco said in a tone that forced boredom.

“Wh-” Ron was shocked when they both started walking in the same general direction. Draco mentioning as they left that Harry should stop following. 

“Harry’s been acting weird, I caught him leaving the library earlier,” Hermione said. 

“Imagine that,” Ron said absently before looking to Hermione. She was acting weird too. Normally she would be one of two places: the library or the common room until it was closer to curfew. 

Lately, there were quite a few times that she wasn’t either place. “So where have been then?” he asked “you weren’t in the common room when I came back from my run, yesterday,” he said.

“I was in the library,” she said quickly and he raised an eyebrow. 

“No, I’m pretty sure you weren’t there because I stopped by there looking for you. Harry was there so I figured you would be sitting with him.”

Hermione flushed “oh! You mean yesterday, sorry. I was helping Ginny with something she needed,” she said, her voice going high-pitched. 

“What did she need?” Ron asked.

“A hair thing, you wouldn’t care about it,” she said.

Ron stared at her “are you lying to me?” he asked and her cheeks remained red and she ducked her head. 

“Maybe I don’t want talk about it with you,” she huffed. 

“Oh,” he blushed, trying to brush off the hurt he felt “um, that’s fine. Well, then uh good luck with wherever you were.”

“Right,” Hermione said. 

Xxx

“I’m such an idiot!” Hermione moaned into the pillow that was in Hattie and Zoey’s chamber. She felt like hitting herself with it. She was hitting on Hattie’s bed with back against a fuzzy headboard. The tv trunk sat on the girl's large dresser.

“I think you’re overreacting,” Hattie said, brushing out her long hair. Hermione thought that they were unfairly beautiful. 

“He looked hurt, I hurt his feelings,” Hermione said, “I did this so that I could keep up with him more and be like cool or something but-”

“You are cool already and he’ll get over it,” Zoey said popping in the movie. 

“Would it be the worst thing in the world if you told him what you were doing?” Hattie asked. 

“Well- no,” Hermione said objectively “but you don’t know Ron like I do. He’ll tease me about it, I have mentioned how pointless I think Quidditch is. And I don’t want him dropping in on our sessions, it’s embarrassing.”

“Then we’ll tell him,” Zoey offered “if we say to keep out of it, he’ll listen. I’m sure.”

“Just not yet,” Hermione said.

Xxx

“What are you doing Potter?” Harry spun around in his seat to find Malfoy staring at him and his stack of books.

“I’m studying, as you can tell,” Harry replied then copied the spell he thought looked useful into his notes. He’d written Sirius to send him a journal to write in about DADA. Sirius went overboard and sent him that and a bunch of exclusive spell books that they didn’t have in the library. 

“That doesn’t look like a textbook,” Malfoy commented picking up the Defensive Spells for Ambushes. “You’re actually doing extra work?” he asked. Harry reddened and glared at his notebook. 

“Is that surprising? How stupid do you think I am?” Potter huffed, glaring at Malfoy as he snatched up the book from his hands.

“I don’t,” Malfoy said quietly. 

“Really?” Harry rolled his eyes but Malfoy held his gaze, his chin up.

“No,” he said and Harry relaxed his shoulders.

“Oh,” Harry looked away “why are here then?” he asked. 

“I figured that Weasley’s friends with me and my friends, and I surprisingly get along well enough with Granger, we could be acquaintances,” Malfoy replied.

Harry stared then smirked “don’t you know how to talk like a teenager? Acquaintances? Really?”

Malfoy blushed furiously “is that how you react to a serious request? Salazar, you’re a prat.”

Harry laughed “there we go, now you’re acting like a 14-year-old. That whole diplomatic stuff, that’s not going to work with Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs.”

“Oh so suddenly you’re an expert?” Malfoy sputtered.

“Did you know I’m half-blood?” Harry asked and Malfoy raised eyebrows. He shook his head that he didn’t.

“Apparently, my mum was muggle-born. When I fainted last year in the presence of dementors, that happened because I relieved their deaths. My mother screaming at Voldemort to spare my life, she defended me until she died. They affect me more than others because… I guess I didn’t get enough happiness as a kid,” Harry said, looking away. 

When he glanced at Malfoy, he saw that his face had paled. An unreadable expression was on his face. “So that idea that you have about someone’s blood meaning anything, I don’t buy it. Hermione should tell you that, she’s powerful and intelligent but you already know that.”

“Fine,” Malfoy said eventually “blood purity means nothing,” he said. Harry stared at him, he never expected Malfoy to say something like that. “Keep that quiet with Slytherin house alright? I’ve thought about it for a long time. But there’s more to being a pureblood than blood, it’s the least important thing.”

“Go on,” Harry gestured to a seat and Malfoy sat. 

“Our culture is dying. Do you know what Samhain is?” he asked. 

“Uh, isn’t it like Halloween?” Harry asked and Malfoy sighed.

“That’s what I mean, you’re a Potter. Your family has a long line of wizards that had traditions they would do. I’ve seen pictures of Marcus Potter, your great grandfather, dancing with your grandmother Ariana Potter at the annual Samhain ball. There used to be huge dances at Hogwarts,” Malfoy said. 

“Well, kicking out and disowning a lot of your line who doesn’t follow ridiculous and old fashioned rules isn’t exactly helping your population,” Harry mentioned. 

“Agreed,” Malfoy sighed “but why cancel the traditions and celebrations that happened at Hogwarts? Did muggle-borns push for it or was it to openly defy pureblood tradition?” 

Harry considered that “maybe you could look it up but if you have a problem with not upholding wizard culture, why not bring it back?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels a bit like my chapters are getting longer and more chaotic. But if I tamed it, we'd never get anywhere in this story. 
> 
> So Ron is learn another language and how to make magic circles. Feeling like he has to keep up with Harry and Hermione.
> 
> Hermione is building up strength and her health to keep up with Harry and Ron. 
> 
> Harry is learning spell work to keep up with Ron and Hermione. 
> 
> Draco is having regrets getting involved with nutters like Gryffindors.
> 
> Sol is just having the most fun ever because: British people. 
> 
> Ron also has no idea what his two best friends are doing.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slightly longer wait time. It took me a second to regain my writing momentum again.

Draco’s mind was reeling. Those Gryffindors were getting on his nerves, asking why and making him think all the time. Why did he have to explain himself? Crabbe and Goyle never demanded answers when he saw anything. 

“Do you want a chocolate frog?” he jerked to realize that Blaise had sat down next to him near the window he preferred to sit on. “Yes, shocking that another person is next to you,” Blaise said offering up the candy. 

Draco took it from him and unwrapped, he bit its head off to stop it from moving. “Blaise, who do you think is the smartest in our year?” Draco. 

“I assume you mean all houses too?” Blaise asked and he nodded. “The Granger girl, probably, she’s sharp. A bit annoying though.”

“She’s not so bad,” Draco admitted and Blaise raised his brow. “Do you care about blood at all?” Blaise’s brow climbed more. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Blaise asked, “do you need a fever potion?”

“I’m serious,” Draco said. 

“Funny, I was sure your star sign was Gamma Draconis,” Blaise replied and Draco shoved him. “If you want the real truth and if you promise not to hound me about it, no. I don’t care.”

“Know something funny, I don’t either,” Draco said.

“There’s nothing about Slytherin house being required to maintain bloody purity in the school syllabus. With as few purebloods as there are, most of our house is half-blood anyway. Tracey is muggle-born too,” Blaise said.

“Tracey was raised by her uncle though and he’s a pureblood wizard,” Draco replied.

“Blood, remember?” Blaise said. 

“Blood,” Draco agreed “the problem is even if we don’t care about that stuff, our parents are set so even if we did attempt to fix the issue…”

“Our parents would disown us and that would be one more extinct Sacred 28. Especially since your the only heir to the Malfoys,” Blaise replied.

“Well, what if I don’t care about being a sacred 28? What if I don’t care about being a Malfoy which is somehow special or whatever?” Draco asked. Blaise sat back across staring out the window. 

“You’d be a very unprecedented Malfoy then. If you don’t care about that then what do you care about?” Blaise asked. 

“Our culture, our celebrations, that’s all I want to uphold,” Draco said. “Screw the purity or whatever, what has blood purity ever given me? Premature birth and a patchy magical core. My dad nearly killed me trying to get me to do my first magic to make sure I wasn’t a squib,” Draco fumed. 

“Fuck, let it out Draco,” Blaise grinned “hoorah,” he drawled. 

“Did you mean that?” they both froze to look at Pansy.

“Shit,” Blaise said with a look that meant he was probably ready to resign himself to the fact that they were likely fucked, royally. They were likely to be ostracised from the whole of Slytherin house.

“Draco?” she looked at him. 

“Yeah,” Draco said, “I suppose I do.”

Pansy smirked, “thank Salazar. With this whole bs about purity, my options for marriage are very limited. And the likelihood of giving birth to like a three-headed baby is worryingly high. I couldn’t care less about muggles, that’s their world, not mine.”

“Pansy,” Draco said with a fond grin. 

Xxx

“Should we be doing this at this time of the day? They’re choosing the champions in just a few hours,” Ron asked. He was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. He wore boots on his feet.

Sol had dragged him out here to spar “best time, I missed this,” he said wrapping some bandages around his fists. 

“There are people out here, though,” Ron said. 

“Are you embarrassed?” Sol laughed then struck without warning, he spun around lightning-quick and kicked at his ribs. Ron barely got his arm up to block it, the force of it still sent him sideways. “Your foundation is still not sturdy enough,” Sol told him as he brought his leg in. 

“Working on it,” Ron replied, grunting as he shook out his arm which had pins and needles from Sol’s strike. Sol was small but he had the force of a bludger. Ron moved in and as Sol punched, he ducked down to evade. 

He tried for a hard straight punch which hit but not hard enough. Sol’s knee came up under his chin, he evaded by backward somersaulting. If he got hit there, he would see stars for at least a minute. 

“Good, you’re surprisingly excellent on the ground despite how tall you are,” Sol said cheerfully. Ron didn’t respond, he knew this was Sol’s tactic. He liked to talk to distract you. 

Sol had a highly offensive style and today was no different. Sol charged at him, using several fast jabs that Ron barely evaded before he was struck in the hip. 

Sol was also a bit merciless, once he found a sore spot, he kept hitting that spot until you went down. Ron had to rely on staying low and getting as close as he could. 

“Well that was fun,” Sol said after an hour of them sparring. He just straightened up and walked over to his bag to get a towel. Ron collapsed on the grass, he panted. 

“I don’t think I’m ever gonna land a real hit on you,” Ron said. 

“I dunno, give it a little bit longer. You’re amazing for how quickly you’ve progressed in only about 6 months or something. You are dad’s prodigy,” Sol said. 

“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, mate!” Ron turned his head from his place on the ground to see Seamus and Dean were sitting on the high end of the slopes around the castle. They both stood up, Dean holding a white and black ball.

“Thank you,” Sol grinned.

“Was that MMA?” Seamus asked. 

“I guess you could say that, a bit of Muay Thai and Karate,” Sol replied.

Ron blinked, he’d never realized there were styles to martial arts. “Seamus Finnegan,” he offered a handshake. Sol took bemusedly and then shook Dean’s hand too.

“Sol Grey, you playing footie out here?” Sol asked Dean who looked astonished. 

“Oh yeah, though it’s not easy with no flat ground,” Dean replied.

“I juggle just fine,” Sol offered his hands and Dean leant him the ball. Sol tossed into the air and bounced on his knee then his foot. Dean watched impressed and Ron had to say it was pretty awesome.

“How do you know about football?” Dean asked.

“Most common sport in my muggle primary school, if I didn’t play there’d be an uproar among my old friends. I was the fastest boy in my class during PE or gym. Whatever British call it,” Sol said. “Mum was muggle so she wanted me to know about muggles as much as wizards and vampires.

“Can you and Ron switch places? I think I’d rather have you for a roommate. You’re speaking my language,” Dean grinned and Ron scowled at him. 

“Way to make me feel loved,” Ron snarked back.

Xxx

Ron found himself back at the castle later on. He’d been fresh from the shower dressed in a clean pressed shirt with no collar and black slacks. They were actually, properly black not dingy grey like his old ones.

He didn’t get rid of all of his hand me downs, many of them he loved. Like most of his sweaters but not pants. As he entered the Gryffindor common room, he spotted Hermione sitting with Zoey and Hattie. 

“Ah, just who we needed to see,” Hattie said rising. Both girls were dressed identically in white button-up dress with poofy, sheer sleeves. To his surprise, they wore Gryffindor ties.

Hermione was wearing something he’d never seen her wear before. A black pencil skirt with Gryfindor color lines on the seams but the collared shirt was the same. 

Her figure had never looked this good before, he blushed trying not to pay attention to just how short it was “ah” he cleared his throat “why are you wearing Gryffindor colors? Also, I can’t seem to find my collared shirts,” he said. 

“Really? How odd,” Hattie said. 

“We stole it, we’ll give it back later,” Zoey said.

“Zoey,” Hattie huffed “it cuts a better structure on you, makes your shoulders wider. We are technically you stylists, so,” she shrugged. 

“And as your stylists,” Zoey opened a box she was carrying showing gleaming ruby earrings.

“I have to wear those here?” Ron asked. He’d just gotten people to stop staring. 

“Every special occasion and yes, this counts,” Zoey said.

“They look so good on you, Ron, most people would kill to wear something this beautiful and expensive,” Hermione mentioned. 

“Right, these are some of the rarest in the world. Do you know how difficult it is to find rubies the same size and color?” Hattie asked.

“Alright,” Ron said. “But if you bring out the gloves or the cape, I’m putting my royal foot down,” he said. 

“Deal,” Zoey smirked and Ron took out his current silver studs and put them in his ears. They felt light and yet weighty like he remembered. He sat with Hermione ignoring her lower half for fear of staring too long.

Harry came back eventually “did you want to go see Hagrid before the feast?” he asked them. 

“That sounds wonderful,” Hermione agreed.

“We’ll see you at the feast then,” Zoey said.

“Your sister asked us to braid her hair,” Hattie said.

They stepped out of the portrait hole and Ron muttered “Ginny can get anyone to do just about anything.”

Ron smelt something strong before he even stepped through the door of the cabin. His nose inched and he felt nauseated “you guys better see what Hagrid’s done, I think I’ll hang back,” he said.

Harry shared a look with Hermione and they went in. Hagrid came out a moment later, he didn’t smell awful but Ron could detect a hint of the smell. “Sorry, Ron, I guess I used a bit too much,” Hagrid said bashfully. 

“It’s okay Hagrid but uh,” he wondered about the suit but Ron closed his mouth “nevermind, it’s fine.”

“Ron, does perfume have the same effect?” Hermione asked him. 

“Not usually,” Ron replied “the normal amount, like the kind mum wears and some of the other girls wear here is fine. Cologne is fine too, Bill likes to wear it.”

“Would wearing too much cologne deter a vampire from biting?” Harry wondered. 

“Definitely,” Ron wrinkled his nose “funny how no one’s thought of that before.”

“It’s because not much are known about vampires ter most wizards,” Hagrid supplied.

They made their way up the castle and neared the carriage when Madame Maxime and several Beauxbatons students came out. Hagrid went to her prompting Hermione to hiss in his that he liked her. 

He winced at how loud it was “he fancies her? Well, that’d be pretty perfect being around the same height. That’d make one massive baby,” he added and Harry made wide eyes. 

“Excuse moi,” Ron turned to see a group of Beauxbatons students. “Could we follow you to the feast? We’re worried about getting lost,” a boy mentioned to him on behalf of the rest. 

“Madame Maxime is hard to keep up with,” a girl added.

“What’d they say?” Harry asked and Ron realized it wasn’t English. 

“They wanted to follow us to the feast so they don’t lose their way,” Ron replied. 

“It’s no problem,” Hermione supplied in french, oh right she had visited.

The group followed them up to the castle and eventually they spotted Durmstrang’s group. Ron ignored the sight of Karkaroff and his eyes found Viktor Krum. 

This guy was a legend yes but his face was like art or something. Solid jawline and his nose just fit him perfectly. Ron held as Krum’s eyes slid to look in his direction.  
“Is he staring at me?” Ron asked Harry and Hermione. Krum’s eyes didn’t move for a second before he stared ahead of him. 

“Maybe,” Harry agreed “hard to tell but it wouldn’t be surprising.”

“How do you mean?” Ron asked. 

“Tall, red-haired, heterochromia with glittering ruby earrings. Ronald,” Hermione sighed sounding irritated “he’s just a Quidditch player.”

“I guess I kind of stand out now, it only took most of my life,” Ron said aloofly.

“Ron,” he turned to see Fleur Delacour striding towards him from a corridor followed by Sol. Her blonde hair was done up in a plait over his shoulder. “I’m sad I didn’t see you much this week,” she said. “Your earrings are beautiful by the way.”

“Oh thanks, well I’m sure the week went fine anyway,” Ron replied.

“Yes, I especially like the transfig-u-ah ration professor,” she struggled to pronounce “Professor M…”

“McGonagall,” Hermione supplied and Fleur nodded, tossing her hair back.

“Yes, she is an excellent teacher. Professor Flitwick also,” Fleur said. “Well the feast starts soon, so I’ll be going,” she said. She flounced away. Sol winked at Ron before following her, he wore the sapphire earrings.

They all found seats and the feast started “are those real?” Lavender Brown asked him.

“Of course they are, he’s a prince, right?” Colin Creevey asked.

“They’re real,” Ron nodded and that was all that was mentioned about his attire. Hattie and Zoey were standing behind Donovan.

“Who are those girls standing behind Professor Grey?” Parvati wondered. 

“I saw them in the common before too,” Lavender said.

Ginny nearby smirked and Ron glared at her to shut up “Ron’s guard,” he said. “A prince cannot be without his knights,” she laughed. 

“So they’re vampires too?” Seamus asked looking back at them. “Is it some sort of weird rule that vampires only turn attractive people?” he asked. 

“Don’t be an idiot, I’ve been to the castle, they are plenty of ugly and average-looking vampires too. Just not many old-looking ones,” Ginny scoffed.

Ron decided not to comment and plucked a blood pop from a covered glass. Most students knew what they were so they stayed away. He popped it into his mouth to suck on it. It was good, just a bit watered down with the sugar.

He really no interest in the food spread on the table tonight, he was still full from having a glass of dragons blood that morning. He watched people instead, Harry was quiet and daydreaming. Others were either twitchy or squirming with impatience. 

Ron took out his sucker when he felt his lips feel sticky from the sugar. Ron licked his lips and reached for a napkin. There was a loud clink on the table and Ron turned, Hermione had dropped her fork. “You scared me,” Lavender had jumped. 

“What? Oh, sorry” Hermione’s cheeks were rosy “I must not have had a good grip.”

Harry had come out of his daydream even to look over “she seem alright to you?” Ron asked.

“Probably as excited to hear the results of the tournament like we all are,” Harry said. Ron hummed in response then bit off the rest of the blood pop and set the empty stick down. 

Finally, the food vanished from everyone’s plates and they were ready to begin. Everyone was alive with anticipation as Dumbledore stood by the cup.

The cup sparked and flames flew in the air before a paper shot out the cup. Dumbledore looked at it and announced that the champion for Durmstrang would be Viktor Krum. Cheers erupted around the hall. 

Ron fought to stay neutral as Karkaroff cheered on his student. He thought that Viktor was amazing as a Quidditch player but he wasn’t a fan of his teacher. 

The next champion was Fleur Delacour “wish me luck,” she said to him as she went by, her head raised high.

“Bon courage,” Ron replied instead because he was a Gryffindor. Fleur smiled, pleased, and strode away.

“What did she say?” Harry asked. 

Ron shrugged because Dumbledore was drawing the final champion. “Cedric Diggory,” the Hufflepuff tabled cheered loudly while quite a few Gryffindor’s groaned loudly. Ron clapped for him and upon seeing him, several of their club members also clapped. 

“This is for Hogwarts, our individual houses shouldn’t matter,” Ron said.

“Your brother is so much cooler than you are,” Angelina Johnson mentioned, assumably at the twins because they squawked in response. Ron glanced back and she winked, clapping with him. 

Many of his younger club members which made up a good majority of it, joined the applause. Everyone had started talking about the champions and what was next when the cup started spitting fire again. 

Silence, dead silence, as Dumbledore caught the piece of paper looking concerned and confused. “Harry Potter-”

Ron blinked as everyone else had and there a long pause before everyone began speaking around them. They stared at Harry who was wide-eyed, green eyes shining brightly “I didn’t put my name in,” he said “you know I didn’t,” he said. 

Ron was too stunned to speak and Hermione seemed the same. “Harry!” Dumbledore was calling him up and Hermione was telling him to go. Ron watched as Harry walked, impossibly small, to the head table.

Ron felt like he was dunked in ice water, Harry had this way of being the center of attention. This was the first time he’d felt like it was a curse. Ron stood up against Hermione pulling his arm to keep him there. 

He ran to catch up with him “Mr. Weasley, only champions are allowed in that room,” McGonagall said. 

Ron drew up to his full height which was quite substantial now that he almost never slouched thanks to Don. “There is no way I’m letting Harry go in there to get taken apart by the champions and a bunch of random professors,” he said.

“Mr. Weasley, if you are implying that the professors will bully a boy-”

“I’m staying with him,” Ron said “because its happened before, hasn’t it? Professors pointing wands at him?” he said. 

Professor McGonagall’s mouth shut with a concerned look “very well, Mr. Weasley but you are only for moral support. No disrespect to champions or the Headmasters.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said then walked inside. Harry’s shoulder was tensed as Bagman spoke “...don’t think there’s any backing out at this stage,” Ron stood next to Harry who was looking at him. 

“Another child?” Madam Maxime asked. 

Ron steeled his eyes “I’m just here to support Harry and I’d appreciate you not calling me a child,” he said, his eyes flashed. 

The Headmaster looked at him with wonder and then the doors banged opened again and the professors were talking over Harry who had said nothing. “It’s no one’s fault but Potter’s, Karkaroff,” Snape said looking at Harry. 

Ron didn’t feel any need to tone down the brightness of his eyes. He glared silently at Snape who was meeting his eyes. Yet he kept running his mouth, the creep. 

Dumbledore dismissed his little speech and finally prompted Harry to speak. “Did you put your name in the cup?” Dumbledore asked. 

“No,” Harry said finally and Ron sighed. At least Dumbledore believed him. But the rest of the adults in the room just liked to hear the sounds of their voice. Ron was more stuck on who had. 

“Is no one seeing what I am?” Ron asked loudly “dangerous tournament, sound like a great way to try to kill Harry Potter, like every year since we started here,” he said.  
There was a silence and Harry looked at him with wide eyes “you said people can die in this tournament and people have. That’s why there’s that age limit,” Ron said. 

“Right you are, the vampire seems to have a clue,” Ron felt goosebumps rise on his arms, he hadn’t sensed Professor Moody come up behind him. Moody explained his case but Bagman didn’t seem to believe him. 

They reached the verdict that even if someone was trying to kill Harry which no one believed, he was still locked into the tournament. Ron crossed his arms, irritated because Harry was at a huge disadvantage. 

Ron would need to ask Sol if he had any ideas for Harry to learn some useful spells beyond what he knew. Harry was ace at Defense but not to a 7th-year level. 

“You believe me, right?” Harry asked him. 

“If this tournament is worth the hype, you’d have to be mad to volunteer as 4th year,” Ron said, “so yeah, reckon I do.” Ron felt all sorts of things in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn’t right, it felt like last year when there was a murderer under the guise of a rat. 

Harry looked relieved when he said it “do you really think someone’s after me?” he asked. 

“Harry, don’t take this the wrong way or anything but someone is always after you.”

XXX

Draco was just as astonished at the rest of the hall when Potter’s name had been called. He admitted he had thought it one of Potter’s attention-grabbing shows. Everything always seemed to happen to him. 

How had he gotten his name into the cup? But when Ron stood up from the Gryffindor table and stalked down the middle aisle, he hesitated that thinking. Ron looked astonished but also angry. 

“What do you think Weasley’s thinking?” Pansy hissed at them. “His eyes were glowing.”

“I’d imagine he’s not happy about Potter being chosen,” Blaise said. 

“Jealous?” Pansy asked, “wouldn’t blame him.”

“No,” Draco shook his head “Potter and Granger are protected by him, I’d imagine he’s pissed because someone’s messing with Potter.”

“Who?” Pansy asked. 

“No idea but I don’t think Potter’s skilled enough to get past Dumbledore’s wards. The only way would be Granger if she even could pull it off,” Draco said, they all glanced over at her. She looked just as surprised as the rest. 

“Somehow I don’t think she’s very skilled at acting,” Blaise said. 

“She’s a stickler for the rules too, no way she’d help him do it since it could get him killed,” Draco mentioned. Pansy frowned, her slim brows coming together. 

“This wouldn’t be the first time our school’s been turned upside down by someone trying to kill him, would it?” she said. No, it’s not the first time at all. “No, I’m just being paranoid, I mean there are other contestants and they’re not likely to die.”

“But Potter’s our age, do you think you could go through this tournament now?” Blaise asked, “if anyone could die in these challenges, it would be a fourteen-year-old.”


	12. Chapter 12

Ron stared at his reflection in the mirror, some days he would think back to his old self. Was he really that different? Yeah, his eyes had changed into that heterochromia everyone saw. 

People looking him in the eyes more often, he wondered if Harry got the same reaction with his vibrant green eyes. His ears were pointier but he didn’t how that made him that different. 

He still had freckles to his astonishment, he blamed genetics. His hair was still red and his nose still long but with age, it fit his face better. He was broader shouldered, more muscular thanks to training. 

Yet even now, he felt powerless despite how much wealth and power he had access to. The jewelry, the etiquette, and the posture he took on had him feel like he was lying. 

With every step he made towards the things he used to dream about having, the ground crumbled behind him. He was standing on a random piece of earth with arrows pointing in all different directions towards darkness. 

Ron sighed and shed his clothes in front of the bathwater. As much as he liked having Don’s company or Sol, being alone was good too. Well, except for Valkyrie but she didn’t do much talking. His mind was spinning too much about what he had to do. 

Protect Harry and Hermione, stay close to his family, master languages, be a good prince, train to get stronger, have good grades…

Ron held his breath and put his head into the water, he brought up immediately since the water was hot enough that his skin pulsed. Valkyrie met his eyes once he’d come up for air, she had her head resting on her front paws. 

She perked up, raising it. Ron waded over and strode her head. He gently went over her soft ears and breathed. “I think I should stop thinking so much, right girl?” he said. She licked his cheek. 

He slumped on the side, trying to focus on just Valkyrie’s soft head and ears then rough fur at her neck. She was getting so big lately, she was nearly Freya’s size. Her weight had not caught up yet so she still had the litheness of a young pup. 

No doubt soon she’d be just as powerful as her mother soon “don’t know what I’d do without you here,” Ron said. Valkyrie simply let him pet her as much as he liked. 

He felt relaxed when he got out of the bath, he decided that he would be taking the day off. With how much chaos ensued Harry’s name pulled from the cup, no doubt he’d need to stay close.

Ron put on jeans, he was already red studs that Zoey had slipped into his small jewelry case. The studs were small circular red gems, they looked like rubies but he couldn’t be sure. 

He padded into their bedroom, he hadn’t brought a shirt with him. Neville was up, his hair sticking up a bit. “Morning Neville,” Ron said opening the drawers near the bed for a shirt. 

“Good morning,” Neville said, “did you um train during the break,” he asked. 

Ron slipped on Bill’s old sweaters which fit his shoulders but was baggy around his waist. He rolled his sleeve up a bit “yeah, I did,” Ron replied. Now that he was paying more attention, Neville looked taller. His shoulders were broad and his face lost some baby fat. His exposed arms looked tan and strong.

“Did you?” Ron wondered and Neville’s eyebrows shot up. “You look different but I dunno if it’s that you're taller?”

“Oh,” Neville flushed “I did grow a lot this summer, I was gardening all summer to keep Grandmum’s garden in shape.”

That would explain things “huh, have you got gnomes?” he asked. 

Neville laughed, he looked handsome without that worried look on his face “yes, stupid things. We’ve got a big patch of land so sometimes I have to just stick them in a wheelbarrow and dump them.”

Ron chuckled “we usually just spin them around and toss them,” he said. 

“Yeah?” 

“They get dizzy and tired so they stay off for a bit,” Ron said. He went to Harry’s four-poster and opened it, unsurprised to find Harry awake and dressed. “Harry,” he poked him as he was sitting up staring straight ahead at nothing.

“I’m up,” Harry sighed, “no one believes me that I didn’t put my name in.”

“I do and Hermione does,” Ron replied sitting down next to him.

“Don’t you have to go on a run and meet Sol or something?” Harry asked.

“I’m taking a day off so I meet Sol it’s to have fun,” Ron said. “And I will do my run soon I guess.”

“I need to study,” Harry said, “every spell I can or I won’t survive it.”

“Fine,” Ron said, “I’ll help you and I’m sure Hermione will too.”

Xxx

Ron marched Harry to go eat breakfast and decided that this was a good time to go on a run. He didn’t particularly feel like bathing after but some quick spells would freshen him up.

He went a more leisured pace and finished without breaking much of a sweat. He took a break sitting by the lake, he wished that his so-called seer visions were more consistent. And on command would be nice too. 

As he stared ahead at the water, he was startled by a mermaid poking their head out of the water. He met their black-eyed gaze “uh, hello,” he said pointlessly. They didn’t speak English, didn’t exactly have the tongue to speak it. 

They lifted their body onto a rock, holding their trident in their lap. Their eyes were wide and their ear fins spreading a bit. He hadn’t seen many of them but he knew he couldn’t be dealing with an average mermaid. She had elaborate necklaces and bracelets strew at her neck and arms.  
She made a sound like a grating rock.

“It seems… that she is fascinated by your eye color,” Ron turned to find Dumbledore in some silvery robes, Hattie might have found them offensive. “Vampires and mermaids don’t meet often.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Ron replied, the lake would be freezing to a human but with his slightly colder veins, he’d be an ice pop. Dumbledore chuckled “taking a morning stroll, Headmaster?” he wondered. 

“A stroll, yes, I also had the need to speak with our lake resident queen,” Dumbledore replied and spoke to them in mermish. The language sounded odd without the tone of merpeople. So this was the queen of their tribe then, Ron wondered if it was simpler than being a queen of the vampires.

Did she learn etiquette too? More likely, it had to be a fight to win the title. The queen did not look delicate at all with that long powerful tail and muscular arms.   
Ron stood up “Goodbye Headmaster and uh, your highness,” Ron bowed to her. The Queen inclined her head to him in response. Ron started away from the lake.

Once he reached the castle entrance, he nearly ran into someone. He stopped himself and looked up slightly, rare for him since he was beginning to be taller than some seventh years and teachers even. His chest stuttered when he met Viktor Krum’s eyes. 

“S-sorry,” Ron replied. 

“It was my fault,” Krum replied still staring at him, Ron had to look away. “I saw you with Harry Potter,” he said. His accent was thick.

“Yes, he’s my friend,” Ron nodded and noticed Viktor was staring down at his feet now. “Oh, I like to run barefoot,” he said. 

“You are not cold?” he asked, Ron shook his head, he was unsure what to say. He couldn’t believe Viktor Krum was still talking to him “You wore earrings yesterday, too, but they were ah bigger,” Viktor said.

“Special occasion,” Ron replied, “they’re um flashy.”

“Beautiful,” Krum insisted and Ron chuckled a little nervously. “Are you a vampire?” he asked hesitantly after that. Ron nodded unsure what reaction he would get in response. Krum nodded like he expected it “why is it that vampires have such pretty eyes?” he asked. 

Ron flushed because that was implying that implied his eyes were pretty. He was used people saying they liked them but this was Viktor Krum. “Um, maybe because of night vision? It’s unknown,” he replied. 

What the bloody hell was wrong with him? He was a mess right now, he was flushed and nervous. He was finally talking to a famous quidditch player and they weren’t talking about quidditch?  
“I see,” Viktor said. Ron wasn’t sure what to say next, did he leave? See you later? Ron snapped his attention back to him when he spoke again “I was wondering if you could show me where the library is?” he asked. 

“Oh, yes. Sure,” he agreed then forgot he was barefoot and a little sweaty. “Well, um, can I show you in a minute? I need to change,” he said. Viktor nodded seriously.

He spent the walk to Gryffindor tower trying to get his heart to relax. He’d met famous people and he’d never felt like this, Harry Potter was the most famous person in their world. He hadn’t felt nervous around him. 

He changed back into a sweater and the jeans from earlier. When did he feel like this? He stopped down the stairs when he recognized that feeling. Hermione, it was how he felt around Hermione. Except with her, he’d had a bit of time to process. 

“But I’m not gay,” he muttered, he’d told Sol that and it hadn’t felt wrong. He liked Hermione, that was the truth. He found her pretty and her love of books endearing.

Ron was forced to ignore his running mind to focus on Viktor. Not that it was too difficult “so um the library is on the second floor,” Ron said leading him up some stairs. 

Viktor nodded “second?” he asked and Ron turned to him, he nodded. “Forgive me, I may ask you to repeat things. My English, I need to work on it.”

Ron nodded “it’s okay, I don’t mind,” he said.

“Harry Potter is your friend?” he asked.

Ron nodded “yes, he’s my best friend. I was worried about him going alone with all those people,” he said, arriving at the doors of the library, he wondered if Harry and Hermione were here yet. 

“Ron,” he turned, Hermione had her hair up in a bun. She looked strangely prettier, something was different but he couldn’t tell what. She was looking at Viktor “we’re looking through some books for spells,” she said offhandedly. 

“Right,” Ron said then looked to Viktor who broke his gaze off of Hermione. “Well, uh here’s the library like you requested,” he said. 

“Thank you,” Viktor said like he wanted to say something else but then walked off. Ron turned to Hermione who was watching Viktor go. 

“What?” Ron asked when she looked back at him. 

“Nothing,” she said and he leaned closer to her “what?” she asked, leaning away as he got a couple of inches away from her face. 

“Nothing,” Ron said following the faint scent of Harry to the table. Harry had a book out and was writing down every spell he found that sounded useful. “Don’t forget to mark the book and pg you got it from. You need to be able to reference back to it,” he asked. 

Hermione looked surprised “uh yes, Ron’s right,” she said. As they went through books finding spells that could be useful for Harry, the sounds of some giggling girls drifted in. Even Hermione looked annoyed, sighing, and rolling her eyes.

Ron curiously stood and found Viktor sitting at a table, some of the girls from Beauxbaton’s and some from Hogwarts watching at a distance. None actually approached but Viktor’s brow was creased with discomfort. 

Ron sighed “I’ll be right back.” he walked to one of the groups who immediately focused on him. “Sorry but the professor asked me to tell you that if you would like to stay in the library, you must be at a table and reading,” he said in French. 

They flushed looking embarrassed “oh, yes. Sorry, we were just leaving,” the girl said. 

“It’s no problem, so long as you understand,” he replied, the girls walked off. He then went to Hogwarts students, third-year girls. “I get that an international Quidditch is more fascinating than the books around you but some of us are trying to read,” he said in that light, charming tone that Sol often used. 

The girls flushed in response and thus were too embarrassed to stick around after that. “Ta,” he told them with a smile and a wink. They laughed as they left, hopefully, he hadn’t upset them too much considering. 

Ron went back to his seat and they worked for another half hour “alright, I can’t do this anymore,” Harry yawned and stretched “I need some lunch,” he said. 

“Agreed,” Hermione sighed. 

“You can go on to lunch, I can give the books back to Madam Pince,” Ron said. 

“Okay, come down when you’re done,” Hermione told him. Hermione and Harry packed up their writing materials and Ron stacked the books they burrowed. 

He took his time as he considered if he wanted to eat something. When he was starting to get hungry, the scent of people around him would get just a bit stronger. His canines would ache a little, it made him subconscious so he pressed his lips together so they wouldn’t drop down so far. 

He wondered if the house-elves in the kitchens would mind giving him some of those pastries. They’d obviously made it specifically for him for some reason. Maybe Don had asked them to. 

He lifted the heavy but manageable stack of books off the table and made his way to the grumpy witch they had as a librarian. “Returning them?” she asked. 

“Yes ma’am,” Ron replied with a close-lipped smile.

“Thank you,” she said looking through them and he made for the door. The sounds of footsteps behind him directly had him stop once he was out of the library. Once again, he met a chest instead of a face. He tilted his face up a bit to see Krum. 

“Hi,” Ron said.

“I wanted to thank you for telling the girls to leave me be,” he said. 

“It’s not a problem, I figured it would be uncomfortable,” Ron said, flushing. He caught this amazing cinnamon and cooked apple coming from the older boy. He had this intense urge to bite his lip or something else. 

“I have a question, that pretty girl that was with you. Is she your girlfriend? Or with Harry Potter?”

Ron swallowed at the unexpected question, he was all over the place. Did he want to reply yes to keep her off of Hermione or he did say no? “She’s our friend,” he replied dumbly.

“I see,” he said seriously and it was throwing Ron out of wack. 

“Right, well, I’m gonna have to go. See you around,” Ron said and walking swiftly down the hallway. It was by a stroke of luck that he met Sol in the corridor a floor down.  
“I’m hungry,” Ron announced to him, Sol grinned in that amused way. “But I have to meet Harry and Hermione for a moment so…”

“I’ll just meet you then,” Sol said, “something filling then?”

“Heavy,” Ron agreed because his fangs ached. “Meet you in fifteen.”

“Yes, sire,” Sol said in a teasing way. Ron debated ignoring for a second but then something equally sassy just came out of his mouth.

“That’s your highness to you,” he then flew down to the great hall. Harry and Hermione had food on their plates by then. Ron had no taste for sandwiches and other foods in the spread on the table.

He leaned in between them “I know I said I’d sit with you for meals but I really have got to eat something,” he said. They were even smelling good too. Hermione smelled like a tart dessert and Harry like some salted bread. 

“Those not enough?” Harry asked gesturing to the covered biscuits dish.

“It’s a snack at most,” Ron admitted then showed his fangs “when they’re this long, it’s best not to tempt me around any jugulars,” he said then leaned over the table to snatch two biscuits filled with bloody cream. He folded them in a napkin. 

“Okay,” Hermione was red “then we’ll see you later.” Ron walked off. The room of requirement was in the way it typically was and a fire was going. Sol poured a wine glass with silver rings around it. 

Ron snatched up that glass and took that first sip. It was full like a shepherd's pie, salty, and sweet. “What is that?” he asked.

“Human blood from a guest at our castle, his boyfriend is the librarian and get enough from just a few minutes. The human is rather muscular and tall. His physical health makes for some fantastic flavor.”  
Ron would have uncomfortable about that a year ago but lately, he was better. He wasn’t just taking from some poor victim, they volunteered it because it pleasurable.

“So something interesting happened today…”

“Oh?” Sol asked waiting to hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of a mental chapter for this one, we'll have all the dragon stuff and first task stuff likely in the next chapter. I do want to say that Ron does like Hermione but you can like a person and date another. Ginny always liked Harry for example and she still dated Dean. Anyway, Ron is extremely confused at the moment. He's gonna talk it out with Sol.


	13. Sol's Perspective

Sol had been around Ron Weasley enough to realize the boy was absolutely, positively oblivious about things regarding himself. He was protective and could be vicious given the correct threats on those around him. But he never could see if the target was on his back. 

It suited the Crown Prince just fine to be defensive considering he was, in the future, going to be in charge of a population of people. Sol commended his father (or even fate) who had chosen such a perfect candidate.

From what it sounded like Ron still hadn’t understood why he was chosen. His friends, Hermione and Harry, carried some of the blame of his insecurity (although unintentional.) In Ron’s eyes, Harry was a leader. 

Sol had heard of the impressive stuff Harry was capable of but in his opinion, Harry was no king. A king had to be just a bit selfish to want that prestigious title, had to be forceful when situations called, and jealousy towards those he called subjects. 

Ron had all of that and more, just not self-awareness but maybe it was advantageous to Hermione. Ron didn’t notice how his blood-red hair and heated eyes could make him subject to desire. Sol noticed how a few eyes strayed from his attractive face to his athletic body. 

“Sounds like a crush,” Sol told the boy after he had told him a story about the interaction he said today. 

“I d-don’t have a crush,” Ron said. 

“I meant that Krum has a crush, on you,” Sol said then considering how his friend looked. “You have a crush on Krum?” he asked as a follow-up.

“What?” Ron asked, his face heating up.

“You do,” Sol said “I knew it, I knew you weren’t all straight,” he poked him. 

“B-but I like Hermione,” he said.

“I know that, everyone knows that at this point but liking Hermione doesn’t mean you can’t like Krum,” Sol said. Ron looked surprised then like he hadn’t considered it at all. “Oh, we need to talk about how emotionally suppressed you are.”

“I’m not emotionally-” he cried out then stopped “I’m not suppressed,” he said calmly. 

“Don’t try that poker face with me, Ron, it’s insulting my intelligence,” Sol said taking a sip of wine. 

“I’m not gay,” Ron said. 

“You don’t have to be gay to like boys,” Sol said rolling his eyes, the magical world had insufficient knowledge of sexuality. “Look, are there other guys you find attractive?” he asked. 

Ron paused to think, his face still pink “sure,” he said.

“Who?” Sol beamed. 

“Stop teasing me,” Ron snapped, his eyes narrowed, oh right. He almost forgot how volatile he could be when backed into a corner, Sol had to be more gentle.

“I’m not trying to tease you,” Sol told him calmly “I just don’t get a lot of chance to talk about this stuff. I got excited, sorry.”

Ron deflated “it’s okay. I guess I do think some boys are attractive,” he admitted.

“Then maybe bisexual?” Sol suggested “or we don’t have to put a label on it if you don’t want to,” he said. 

“Does that mean I like both?” Ron asked.

“Yup,” he said, “bi is just liking both, you can have preferences for women and some boys or more boys and a few women.”

“Then I guess bi,” Ron said, blushing. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Sol agreed “you want a bath?”

“Not really,” Ron said, his face still glowing.

“Chess game?” Sol asked, Ron needed to be less high strung. Did that come with age or did his father and mother come by it naturally? Then he did notice how emotional the Weasleys were. 

“I need a nap,” Ron replied then flopped onto the couch, Sol stood up and sighed. 

“Fine, well, I’ll just leave you here then,” he replied then walked out of The Room of Requirement. That part of fascinating about the castle, everything moved here including the portraits.

Sol spent a fair of time admiring some of them which were colorful and each unique. His favorite so far was Barnabas the Barmy Teaching Trolls Ballet. Subject matter alone sent him into a fit of laughter the moment he saw it. 

Unfortunately, many of his classmates thought it garish. Where was the sense of humor in the french honestly? As he turned a corner near a large portrait of the bountiful feast of fruit and bread, he caught sight of a girl. 

Her silky red hair stood out like a beacon in the dark blue velvety dress she wore. “Ginny Weasley,” Sol said, it rolled off the tongue easily. She was easily recognizable.   
“Grey,” she said then pursed her lips, her delicate features contrasted the sharp eyes. It reminded him that yes, she was related to Ron with the eyes of a tiger. 

“You know my name is Grey but considering that Ron and I are close, maybe you could use my first name?” Sol asked. 

“You may be close to Ron but we’re not close so Grey it is,” Ginny said then she passed him. Sol felt a bit wrong-footed, never was he dismissed so quickly like this. 

“Well, maybe we could get to know each other,” Sol replied, keeping pace at her side.

“No, I don’t think so,” Ginny said. 

“Why not?” 

“Because I don’t like you,” Ginny said, Sol did not understand that! He was charming and smart; even Hermione at least tolerated him. He’d at least earned her trust.

“Why don’t you like me?” Sol asked, no amount of walking she could do would shake him. 

“Because Ron trusts you more than me,” she said with a voice trying to nonchalant. 

“So you’re jealous?” he asked, “You’re his sister, he trusts you.”

She paused and stomped her foot on the ground once then spun to meet his eyes. “Did you know that Ron’s always felt like I’m his replacement?” she asked. 

Sol tried to understand what she meant but he couldn’t figure it out. He breathed in “explain?”

“My mother had six sons before having me, I’m the daughter she’d always wanted. The one she hoped for when she had Ron, I can only imagine she must have been disappointed. Do you know what that means? It means Ron and I are barely a year apart. She was pregnant while she raised Ron.”

“What does it mean?” Sol asked, listening intently. 

“That as soon as Ron could remember anything growing up, I was center of attention. I love that I’m the only girl, I have all these incredible older brothers. They protect me and with as much teasing from them, it gave me tough skin. Ron was never the baby in his eyes. I remember that I would follow him if mum didn’t ask me to help in the kitchen or with laundry. Ron would be alone every time I found him.” Ginny said. 

That would explain some of Ron’s habits, sneaking off in the class. Waiting for the right moment in the night that no one was in the castle springs to take a bath. “I think it helps him think,” Sol replied. 

“It’s not good for him for too long though. When I searched him out, he’d be playing chess by himself or sitting by a tree. Most people never paid any attention for long. Uncle Billius taught him how to play chess but he died when we were 7. Ron ran off, he nearly caught hypothermia locking himself in the attic and letting his magic loose with snow.”

“Why do you think he trusts me more?” Sol asked gently. 

“Because he can’t trust me,” she replied, her eyes shone a bit. Sol hesitated a bit but stepped forward.

“I’m not Ron but by now, I’m really sure that he trusts everyone in his family explicitly. “Why can’t he trust you?” Sol asked.   
The girl, while she was a third-year she felt very young at that moment. “The diary, Tom Riddle’s diary,” she said. Sol had heard of that from his father who had learned all he could about Ron, his charge. 

How a young girl had nearly died by being possessed. Sol pursed his lips “I know you don’t like me much but listen to me. You are no one’s enemy. I trust you, Ron definitely trusts you,” he said. He gently reached for her hand and grasped it gently. 

He led her “where are we going?” she asked, she’d gotten her voice back. 

“To Ron,” he said. 

“What? No,” she said louder and he tightened his grip on her hand. 

“Yes, you need to talk. Work stuff out, better for both of you,” he said, lucky he hadn’t gone too far before the room opened up to him. Ron was playing chess by himself by the fire. “Delivery,” he said. 

Ron’s gaze flicked to Ginny “why are you holding hands?” he asked. 

“He dragged me here,” Ginny said pulling her hand from Sol. Ron stood up with a frown on his face.

“Were you crying?” Ron asked immediately.

“No,” Ginny replied, Sol stared at her, he could still see her eyes a bit swollen from her trying not to cry. 

“I guess that’s technically true, she hasn’t cried yet,” Sol said then pushed Ginny forward. “Typically I’d just let this be but my likability is at stake,” he said.

Xxx

Ginny wanted to hex Sol Grey and after outing her like this, he would deserve it. She always felt like an outside when it came to Ron and his friends. 

“So,” Ron said as Sol had thrown open the door and left. She suddenly wished for Ron’s blue eyes back because the silver and gold were so intense they burned.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ginny said.

Ron raised an eyebrow “fine,” he said then poured some tea from an ornate kettle on the table. It was then she realized she’d never been here before. She looked around. 

“Is this a teacher’s office or something?” she asked. 

Ron shook his head “it’s called the room of requirement, it’s where I do my ‘vampire’ studies with Sol and Don.”

“Never seen it before,” she said. 

“Most students stumble across it by accident, if you really need a bathroom or a place to hide from Filch after curfew. It just you know, becomes what you require,” Ron said. 

“So it can become anything?” she asked.

“Whatever you want, don’t tell the twins. They’ll make a factory or something for their pranks,” Ron replied. “You want to play chess?” he asked. 

She looked near the fireplace to see a chessboard of emerald green and marble white. The pieces were glass. “Okay,” she agreed. 

They moved to it and flipped a knut for black or white. Ginny ended up with Black, Ron already had the upper hand. Not that she could beat Ron.

Ron began “pawn E4,” he said and she had seen him start this move a lot. She hadn’t played chess in a while though so she could be wrong. She swallowed then glanced at Ron who wasn’t even looking at the board. 

He was sipping his tea “pawn to E5,” she said. She placed her black pawn directly in front of his. It would stave him off for long but at least she could block him. 

“Knight to F3,” he said after a pause. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you,” he said. 

“Fine,” she said “um F6,” she said.

“Is this about what we talked about during the World Cup?” he asked. “Night to E5,” he said. She frowns, the knight slices her pawn but then he sacrifices his own knight. 

“Is what about? Pawn to E5,” she took his knight.

“You avoiding me? I know you are. Queen H5,” he said. “Check,” he said. Ginny looks down at her board, in the blink of an eye, he has already checked her. 

She sighed “I’m tired of asking you to tell me stuff when I know you can’t trust me enough,” she replied. “Um, king to E7.” He has her in a trap and he knows it. 

“You think I don’t trust you? Queen to E5,” he asked. “I do trust you, it wasn’t a matter of trust with these weird daydreams,” he said. “Check,” he said.

“Then what?” she asked. Her board is a mess, Ron has every advantage and she’s screwed. “King to F7” she got no other moves to play. 

“I don’t know myself, that’s what. But I have a theory, I can tell you it right now if you want?” he asked. “Bishop to C4.”

“Tell me,” she perks up “pawn to D5,” she said. 

“I might be a seer,” he said, catching her off guard and she felt like laughing. “Bishop to D5.” He took her pawn once again.

“You’re joking,” she said but his serious face had given her pause. “Like prophecies or whatever? King to F6.”

“Not prophecies, as far as I know, just visions,” he said. Ron seemed to forget the game as he watched her. 

“What do you see in them?” Ginny asked, “why do you think they’re visions and not like dreams?” 

“Because they really happened,” Ron muttered and Ginny waited. 

“Tell me? Please,” she said. 

“Yeah alright,” he sighed “pawn to H4.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you are French, Sol is just kidding when he was talking about French humor. I spent some time in Provance, I personally know the French can be funny. 
> 
> Well, anyway. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Sorry for the wait, my inspiration took a vacay for a second. I'm back on, probably the next chapter will be closer to the first task. Jumping ahead a bit.


	14. Chapter 14

After Ron had explained things to Ginny, they were once again on good terms. She had even given him a gross sibling hug as she skipped away to find a snack to fetch from the kitchen house-elves. 

Well, at least that was one supposed secret out of the way. Now if only people would let him in on what they were keeping secrets about. Hermione going off to wherever and then Harry suddenly spending more time in the library. 

It’s like they switched personalities all of a sudden. Ron decided he should just leave it be and eventually it’ll come out. Besides, there was the fact of managing the club which was in some disarray when class began after the whole of Harry’s name being drawn out of the goblet. 

More people had shown up than usual, normally that would be a good thing but not with how they were bickering. Hufflepuff’s were acting rather bitter and Gryffindor’s a bit smug. Ron cleared his throat and every eye was drawn to him. He drew everything he had in him to show he had authority. 

“The last few days have been unexpected, I know, but we have a goal here. We want the houses to get along and build bridges. We can’t do that if you're already setting things on fire with rivalry,” Ron said. 

The bickering groups looked away from each other. Ernie nodded “yeah. If we’re going to be rivals with anyone, it should be against the other schools. We’re cheering for Hogwarts, Harry, and Cedric. They need support if we want our champions to win.”

Ron breathed with relief, trying not to show it too much “right, it’s supposed to be a friendly competition, it’s a tough competition but it’s for fun. We want to show the other schools that Hogwarts is one of the best, fighting with other houses isn’t showing them that.”

“The girls in my dormitory are already coming up with support Cedric pins. They… they want to make fun of Harry Potter,” a Hufflepuff third year said, Mary, he thinks. “But I don’t have anything against Harry, Ron, really,” she quickly added. 

Ron nodded “I believe you. I know it’s hard to believe this but Harry didn’t put his name in the cup,” he said.

“I can believe that,” Derek, a Ravenclaw fifth year.

“You can?” one of the bickering Hufflepuff’s asked incredulously. Her name was Kara.

“Well,” the boy began, glancing at Ron, “Weasley looked pissed off when he went to follow Harry. If anyone would know the truth, it would be Weasley or Hermione Granger. They’re his best friends, their reactions didn’t look fake,” he said. 

“Right, you look kind of scary when your mad,” Ernie said to Ron, he chuckled nervously. 

“Sorry, it’s just that nothing good happens when Harry is left by himself. I wanted to look scary in case someone tried to bully him,” Ron replied.

“People bully Potter?” Kara asked.

“More than you’d think,” Ron replied offhanded “listen, I’m counting on you guys and especially Slytherin to spread support for both champions. This rivalry thing inside of our own school is stupid,” he said. 

“Why us?” Jessie, a Slytherin sixth year asked. 

Ron smiled in a way like he held a secret. “If there’s any house capable of spreading a message, it’s our most ambitious and cunning students,” he said. “Unless I’m wrong?” he grinned with his fangs on display.

They looked at each other and smiled, Ron had them hook, line, and sinker. If you wanted them on your side, give them a compliment and a challenge. “Oh we can do it, it’s just not often a Gryffindor acknowledges us,” Jessie said. 

“Leave that to us,” a third-year Slytherin replied. 

“I will,” Ron said then looked around at everyone “now, your not going to let the Slytherin’s upstage us?”

Xxx

Ron wasn’t expecting a revolution to happen so quickly but suddenly almost every student at Hogwarts had a pin that said “Support our Champions!” Which swapped between Harry’s face and Cedric’s. 

“What happened?” Harry asked as a group of Slytherins waved at him wearing their pins. Harry waved back, flushed. 

“No clue,” he shrugged. He paused when Draco came up to them both, he had his pin on his bag. “Hello,” he greeted. 

“Look, I support you and all but I refuse to wear it on my shirt,” Draco drawled out. 

“Fair,” Ron replied, “what’s up?”

“I just heard from my father that the reporters are coming later today. They chose Rita Skeeter,” Draco said. 

“Uh, right,” Harry said blankly and Draco rolled his eyes. 

“That’s not good, Potter. She’s a liar, she makes castles out of cottages. She’ll twist everything you say. If she even listens to you in the first place,” Draco said. 

“What am I supposed to do about it?” Harry asked.

“My advice is you don’t reply to her at all. Keep silent entirely. It won’t help much but at least your not intentionally giving her ideas to slander you,” Draco said. 

“But I’m not the only champion, who says she’ll focus on me?” Harry asked. Ron glanced at Draco who met his eyes.

“You are joking, right? Most famous wizard under 17 in the world and you think she’s not going to make this all about you?”

“Well, can I avoid her?” Harry asked “if I don’t show up-”

“The wand weighing ceremony is where she’s likely to show up. So honestly, I doubt you can dodge her,” Draco said. Ron hummed for a second when he remembered.

“Harry, do you remember that reporter that I did an interview with?” Ron asked. 

“The one from OI?” Harry asked.

“The magazine?” Draco asked and Ron nodded. Draco’s eyes widened “brilliant idea, Ron, we invite her to the castle. OI can contend with the prophet.”

“Okay, but hold on, what’s the wand weighing?” Harry asked and they both stared at him. Draco took the lead explaining in sharp detail and Ron smiled. It was almost as if they were friends.

Xxx

Ms. Kare was quick to reply via owl post that she would be delighted to do an interview with Harry as a Tri-wizard contestant. Harry was a bit concerned about Rita Skeeter though since Draco had said to not reply to anything she said. 

Even going as far as to say that she’d likely just make her own assumptions on her own without even asking him first anyway. Collin Creevey came to get him during potions and while Snape sneered when Collin became insistent, he let him go. 

He met Ron’s eyes who winked, great he didn’t have any reason to be nervous now, did he? He swallowed as he was led to a room with Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, and Viktor Krum who had occasionally tracked Ron any time he came into a room. 

He breathed as a woman dressed in garish robes and some of the most ridiculous glasses he’d seen approached him. Harry stepped back like she was a roach or a blast ended screwt whose end was about to blow. 

“Harry Potter,” her eyes lit up after Bagman greeted him “just the person I wanted to see,” she said ignoring the rest of them. “Mind if I a word with our youngest champion.”

Harry shot a look to the rest of them who looked a bit put out “yes, I do mind actually.”

Her eyes became a bit venomous as she looked irritated. Then the doors opened and Dumbledore strode in along with Ms. Kare. Harry breathed again as she gave a genuine smile and in her white robes she looked an angel. Her blonde hair was short now in a bob.

“Dumbledore!” Rita said “how nice to see you, did you enjoy my piece?”

“Ah, yes, I did enjoy it especially when you called me an obsolete dingbat,” Dumbledore's voice remained mystified.

“Well-” 

Ms. Kare stepped up to Harry “it’s good to see you again, Harry. How are you faring among all this, must be overwhelming?” she asked. She offered her hand and he took it.

“Fine, well, it is kind of,” he agreed.

“That’s okay, you know being nervous can kind of kick adrenaline into high gears. You’ll need it,” she said. “Now let’s meet all the champions shall we?” She walked over to all of them. “Hello, I’m Emily Kare of Of Importance magazine. I’d love to get a nice photo of all of you separately and together. Then maybe do a mini-interview of all of you too, sound great?” she asked. 

“Sounds lovely,” Fleur agreed.

“Excellent,” Kare beamed and called over Joseph, the photographer she’d brought with her. It seemed much more expensive compared to the one the prophet had with the smoke and other things.

“This camera is different than what I’ve seen?” Viktor said.

“Sharp eyes, well that’s a given you are a seeker,” Kare laughed “yes, we had a team enchant it a little better without all the noise and smoke. Honestly, I think the prophet keeps them just so they get a tense, dramatic look for the paper.” 

The gaze Skeeter sent her was irate but with Dumbledore there, they could do nothing about it. Ms. Kare wrapped up quickly and efficiently so they weren’t interrupted when Olivander began the wand weighing. 

Harry had no reason to be nervous but he was a bit. He said it was in perfect condition and that was it. He was sent to dinner, he met Ron there. “Thank you for inviting Ms. Kare, Rita was on me the second I entered,” Harry said. 

“I figured,” he agreed. 

Xxx

The Daily prophets article seemed to take a backseat entirely as Of Importance copies ran all over the school. Harry nervously read it about Viktor’s feeling also nervous but confident he could pull a win. 

She capitalized on all their strengths and Harry was the last that spoke on. 

“Harry Potter as a name is one of the most recognized and a giant of a reputation. The name is overblown as Harry is a boy of 14 years old who is taking part in a dangerous tournament. While his feats are impressive regarding his few years of studies at Hogwarts, he is at a disadvantage. Regardless, his humble character and determination may win this for him. As for the question of how a 14-year old entered, that is a mystery. Harry was very specific to say that he had not put his name in the goblet. And the look in his eyes and this being a tournament that has ended in tragedy before, I am inclined to believe him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My computer decided that it's battery needed to be replaced so that was fun while typing this chapter. The next one of course will feature the first task. So you know, get ready for that. Sorry, this took a while, I had been sick before, and took me a while to feel well enough to focus on anything but sleep. Now I'm better and playing catch up at work so those are my excuses. 
> 
> Hope this makes up for it somewhat. I will try to get the chapter up in the next week but my inspiration for this is kind of been lagging a bit. Maybe someone can place some reviews with some ideas to get this started?


	15. Scent is a powerful thing

Ron woke at 4 am in the morning the day they were set to go to Hogsmede. It was later than usual but he didn’t mind much. He never felt sluggish when it came to sleep anymore. He had been having dreams a lot more often now.

Writing it down had become a new chore when he woke up. If he was a seer, he wanted to know the detail in case he forgot them. So he sat by the fire with Valkyrie’s head in his lap writing in his journal and then finishing weekend assignments. 

Hattie and Zoey said that they’d be tailing him even if he didn’t see them directly. He didn’t think too much on it since he trusted them by now.

“Morning” Ginny said sleepily after some time. 

“Morning,” Ron said glancing at a clock to realize it was 9 in the morning. 

Ginny was dressed in a rare skirt and leggings, her sweater was cream-colored. She sat next to him and pat Valkyrie who ears went upward at the attention. “She’s near full size, isn’t she?” Ginny asked. 

“Yup, she hunts her own food now,” Ron replied.

“And she loves you to death, I dunno why,” Ginny said. 

Ron rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair earning a protest of “hey” from her. “You asked for it, so you going to Hogsmede then?” he asked. 

“Um yes, with Dean,” Ginny replied and Ron’s first reaction was to go punch Dean. “Stop that,” Ginny smacked his arm.

“What?”

“Your eyes are glowing, you look scary,” she said “I can date who I want,” she said. 

“But he- you’re 13,” Ron said. 

“I could be 27 and you, twins, Charlie, Percy, and Bill would protest it. So shut up,” Ginny said.

“Be careful,” Ron said darkly “if he does anything that you don’t like or want. You tell me,” he said.   
“Merlin, fine,” Ginny sighed, Ron turned to see a few more people walking down the stairs. “Oh, I forgot. As soon as you get the chance. Owl Charlie, he’s got something important to tell you.” Ron nodded in response.

Ginny went with Dean, pulling him quickly to breakfast. Ron huffed and took Valkyrie big head in his hands “what do you think, am I overreacting?” he asked her. 

Valkyrie's brows furrowed and she sneezed “great, thanks for the opinion,” he muttered then smelled parchment and shampoo. He turned around to find Hermione walking down the stairs in boots, sweatshirt, and leggings. He smiled as her hair was in a bun with flyaways around her head like a halo. 

“You always know I’m coming,” she said. 

“I smell you,” he shrugged. 

“What do I smell like?” she said standing in front of him now “Harry should be down soon,” she added. 

“Books,” he said “oh there’s Harry now,” he said. 

“And what does Harry smell like?” she asked. 

“Like soil or leaves,” he said.

“I smell like soil?” Harry asked his face looking worried then sniffed as if he could smell it. 

“Well, technically people smell like a lot of things. Books, sweat, shampoo, soap.”

“Some people must not smell very good then,” Harry said. 

“Mad-eye- oof,” Hermione nudged him with her elbow. 

“Professor Moody,” she insisted. 

“Yes, well, Professor doesn’t smell great okay?” Ron said “like rotten vegetables and… I don’t know what the smell exactly is but it’s familiar so it’s got to be something we encountered in Hagrid’s class or something.”

“Maybe it’s because of his eye,” Harry considered. “Well, whatever. Let's go eat something, I’m hungry.” Ron followed them both to the great hall and sat at the table. Sometimes he wished he could eat as they could. 

All of the colorful foods meant nothing to him anymore since there was only one thing he craved. Although he noted the shiny translucent top of a glass-covered container, he did appreciate the elves' efforts into his likes. 

They resemble donuts filled with a dark-colored jam, he lifted the top of it and grabbed one. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a girl also make to swipe one. He set his treat down and grabbed her wrist. “Those aren’t for you,” he said.

“You just took one,” she whined “how did you open it?” she asked. 

“It's made for only me to open,” he said calmly and he took the donut out of her hands and released her. He replaced the lid so no other curious kids could swipe any. “Unless you’re into a blood-filled pasty, mits off,” he said then took a bite as the girl’s eyes flashed wide and she moved on.

The pasty was delicious, the sweet and salty flavor exploded in his mouth and he hummed. Harry caught his eye “what?” he asked, mouth full. 

“Nothing, well, it's just we never see you eat so…” Harry shrugged. 

“Don’t need to every meal of the day but it is interesting that they started making things that I would want to eat. Maybe Donovan requested it. 

“He does seem to meddle in things related to your progress without mentioning it. Do you think you were lacking in how much you needle to drink?” Hermione asked. 

“Or maybe he just wanted some snacks,” Harry said and Ron laughed in response. While his friends finished their breakfast, he glanced around the hall, Donovan was there sipping out of wine glass at the teacher's table.

“I’ll be right back,” Ron told them. 

“If you ditch us, I won’t forgive you,” Harry told him. 

“I’m going to Hogsmede with you, relax,” Ron said, stretching his long limbs. “Morning,” he told Don as he approached, only Snape was also awake but he was far on the other side. The man cut him a glance as he walked up the steps.

“Good morning,” Don said “did you enjoy yourself this morning, the kolache was especially delicious.”

“They were good, I actually had a question about that. Did you bribe the elves or something?” he asked. 

Don raised a crisp brow “bribe? I didn’t have to, they are more than happy to help. I like the occasional treat so I requested, they seemed to acknowledge that they would be making snacks for three vampires and obliged.”

“Hm, so it wasn’t some scheme?” he crossed his arms.

“Ah, well not so much a scheme but maintenance. Ensuring that you eat enough, its easier when the food is right in front of you. You’ve done very well since summer but I worry a bit that without your mother providing it under your nose, you won’t.”

Ron remembers last Christmas in the castle, Charlie had said he was concerned. Ron had been much thinner back then “Thank you,” he said.

Don chuckled and ruffled his hair “go on back to your friends, we’ve got a night ahead of us. I need to begin training you in something very important. Eat your fill of those pastries, you’ll need your strength.”

Ron fixed his hair and nodded then walked back to the Gryffindor table.

XXX

As they walked down to Hogsmede, they received plenty of stares for Harry’s appearance in the paper. Harry looked irritated by it and Ron slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry so much, it's not like…”  
His vision tunneled as he spoke and instead of walking the trail down to Hogsmede Villiage, he was in the common room staring at a beetle. A very odd-looking beetle with markings that resemble cat eyeglasses around its nubby eyes. 

Then his vision shifted to Hermione who held the thing in a jar glaring at it. “She’s-”

“Ron!” he shook his head to find he was right where he left off but his friends were staring.

“Sorry, that was weird,” he said. 

“Was it a vision?” Hermione asked. 

“I think so but it was sort of nonsense,” Ron said, “I’ll write it down later and then you can decide what you think.”

“Sure,” Harry nodded and they carried on, in the Three Broomsticks, Ron got a butterbeer for the sake of it. His twin brothers sat at a table with Lee Jordan so they sat there too. 

“How's it going Harry, Hermione?” Fred asked. 

“Nervous, Harry?” George asked. 

“Er, yes,” Harry said.

“You’ll be fine,” Hermione said, as if she can will so by saying it. Ron nodded in response, this wasn’t something he could Harry with. He could help find spells but then it was all up to him. 

As they walked about including the twin's commentary on the other three champions, Ron was getting irritated by a buzzing in his ear. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes and saw the same beetle he’d come across earlier. 

With the cat eye markings, the beetle was not acting like any bugs he’d seen before. Hovering in one spot and Ron brought his arms up and cupped it in his hands. Their table jumped as a sudden action. 

“Um, what was that?” Lee asked. 

Ron smelled his hand, the beetle smelled like perfume “anybody got an empty sealed container?” he asked. 

Lee had a jar with punctured holes in it “sometimes I use it to walk my pet tarantula,” he said. Ron made a face and sealed it in the jar. 

“A beetle?” Harry asked. 

“It smells like perfume and look at the markings,” he pointed out then he whispered in Hermione’s ear “I saw it in my vision.”

Hermione looked at him closely and gasped “Rita Skeeter,” she said then she smirked “well, we are in trouble. Aren’t we?” she asked. 

Ron realized immediately she was right “an animagus,” Harry, Ron, and Hermione said at the same time. They’d dealt with them before after all. 

“That’s Rita Skeeter, you think?” Fred asked. 

“A beetle?” George prompted and was beaming.

“It makes perfect sense, that’s how she’s able to spy on people without them knowing. I’ll bet she doesn’t for all her cases,” Hermione said. “So now to decide what to do with her?”

“Turn her in to the Ministry, she doesn’t get a pass,” Ron said.

“Right, well, we can wait on that.” Hermione waved some silencing charm on it and placed it into her bag. They sipped their butterbeer until the twins and Lee decided they would be going around the wrest of Hogsmede. 

“Oh, Hagrid,” Ron turned to see Hagrid at the bar with Moody. As soon as his eyes were on him, Moody seemed to turn around and meet his eyes. 

Moody pointed them out to Hagrid and soon the two walked up. Ron’s nose stung with the familiar scent and he used a handkerchief up to his nose. “Ron, ya still haven’t got a handle on handling it all?” Hagrid asked. 

“I can’t turn off my nose,” Ron replied, he tried not to act like the scent of Moody didn’t make it water. As always, the scent was so familiar and yet not. 

“Ah well. Oh! You should see Charlie,” Hagrid said. 

“Go see him?” Ron asked. 

“Yeah, he’s here. I invited him here but he said he had some work stuff to deal with,” Hagrid said lowly to them. “You might see if Harry would like to come along,” he said. 

Ron blinked, unsure on Hagrid was getting at here but nodded. “I’ll ask my sister where he’d be,” he said. 

“Good,” Hagrid said calmly and a bit cryptically. 

XXX

After stopping at Honeydukes, they all walked back towards the castle. “Why do you think Charlie’s so keen on me visiting them?” Harry wondered and suddenly Ron was struck by an idea. 

He pursed his lips, he really hoped he was wrong “he said that Charlie had work stuff, dragons are his work so…”

Hermione paled “no… no, dragons? They wouldn’t-”

“Cockatrice?” Ron suggested remembering her mention of having read about past tournaments.

“You… go see Charlie and I’m going to the library,” Hermione said, striding ahead muttering “dragons… are they mad?”

“You really think it's that?” Harry asked looking a bit pale “what am I supposed to do against a dragon?”

“Not sure,” Ron admitted then placed a few fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. Harry crossed his arms as they waited, Valkyrie eventually came into sight from the forest. “Hey girl, sniff Charlie out for me,” he said, scratching her ears. 

Valkyrie went back the way she came and they followed the trail. As they went deeper in, Ron’s skin crawled from a few spiders underfoot. Eventually, though, he saw thick tanned tents. 

She walked into a third tent “there you are, why’d you run off?” Charlie’s voice made him less hesitant to walk right in. Charlie smiled when he saw him “Ron,” he held out his arms and he hugged him. 

Charlie slapped his back “you look great,” he said then glanced to Harry “Hi Harry, how are you.”

“Alright,” Harry said. 

“Tough fucking luck with this tournament, I’m not sure if I envy you,” Charlie said then paused “I probably shouldn’t tell you but I’m sure Ron’s half figured it out.”

“The first task? Not hard to put some things together.”

“Yeah… well, if there no point hiding it anymore. Come on then,” Charlie stepped outside the tent and lead a bit deep into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said the next chapter would be the first task but sorry, I forgot to add this. It kind of needed to happen here. Also, It came to my attention that ch14 remained as a draft by accident so if you missed it, go read it I guess.


	16. Chapter 16

Ron wasn’t a big fan of dragons. Having been bit when he was 11 wasn’t the greatest introduction and dragons being the reason his brother (his favorite brother, don’t tell Bill) moved far away because of them didn’t make it better. 

Now, he had more reason to dislike them since apparently “they’re mad, absolutely mad,” Ron said, eyes blazing in the dark looking at the collection of dragons hidden in the forest. 

“I’m inclined to agree with you, nesting dragons are extremely aggressive. Honestly, it's irritating because well it's just reinforcing the publics' idea that dragons are dangerous creatures that shouldn’t be protected,” Charlie said. 

Ron groaned then glanced at Harry who looked pale “Harry, it’ll be fine okay? We’ll think of something,” he said. Valkyrie paced back to his side and then licked Harry’s hand. Harry snapped his gaze to her and patted her head. 

“Let's go,” Harry said.

Xxx

Ron watched Harry closely as they walked back up to the castle, holding the invisibility cloak over them. He could smell the cold sweat Harry had broken out into and he swore he could smell the anxiety too

When they arrived in the Gryffindor common room, Harry threw the cloak off and tossed himself on the sofa. He curled up and messed up his hair. Ron sighed and sat next to Harry who let himself fall onto his lap. 

“I just… wanted this year to be normal,” Harry said, his voice strained. Ron patted Harry’s small back, he was cold even to him. 

“I know…” Ron said, “but our lives have never been normal. Its why people constantly stare at us like we’re the walking opera,” he said. 

Harry chuckled “why am I always the one? Why just me?” he asked. 

“I ask that every day and also why I ended up with the great Harry Potter as a best friend. I could walk around with a chicken as my head and you’d still be the center,” Ron said. 

Harry shifted to stare up at him with a questioning look and Ron grinned. Harry shook his head with a snort “famous Harry Potter and his chicken friend,” Harry giggled. 

“Well, the chicken friend has a recommendation that you sleep. We can figure out the dragon thing tomorrow,” Ron said. 

“I don’t know if I can,” Harry said. 

“I can knock you out if you like?” Ron suggested and Harry smirked. He shook his head and got off his lap “try to sleep, I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. 

“Say hello to Don for me,” Harry said climbing the stairs, Ron nodded then turned to the portrait and climbed out. As the portrait shut and climbed down a set of stairs, his eyes adjusted so he could see perfectly. 

He could no longer remember what it felt like to be in the dark anymore. Even beyond the sound of his own footsteps, he could hear portraits snoring. As he neared the room of requirement, footsteps came from another direction. 

Swift, impatient footsteps and he faced the direction and closed his eyes at the bright wand he was met with. He opened them slowly as his eyes adjusted. “Skulking the castle at midnight, Mr. Weasley?” Snape’s low drawl asked. 

Ron didn’t let his face shift as the bait, he was Snape’s height now. It was strange to see his professor at eye level. The man was pale and exhausted “I’m off to see my mentor,” he said. 

“Grey,” he said and Ron nodded. “I see. As much as I would relish in punishing you for roaming after curfew, vampires get special permission.” Snape squinted at him in contempt. He didn’t speak, “well, what are you staring at me for. Get out of my sight before I find a reason to punish you.”

“Yes sir,” Ron turned on his heel towards his original destination. “Actually, sir,” Ron said turning back to his professor who raised his brows. “Students have died in the past in this tournament, the ministry is acting like they’ve fixed things so that doesn’t happen.”

Snape frowned deeper “the only thing they’ve fixed is to ensure no one under seventeen is allowed to enter.”

“And they fucked that up.”

“Potter is the one-”

“Harry had nothing to do with his name being put in that cup. I know better than to think that Dumbledore is enough to protect him now. I just wish I knew what we’re up against.”

Snape’s eyes went wider “you distrust your headmaster?”

“I’m beyond thinking that adults, supposedly great men or women, are infallible. That kind of blind faith is pretty much gone, I’m not allowed to be just a kid anymore,” Ron said. 

Snape sighed “good, don’t trust just anyone,” he drawled coldly. 

The way he said piqued his interest and Ron found himself asking “who do you trust, Professor?”

Snape's face opened up, the bitterness was gone from his face. His face much smoother without wrinkled expression “no one,” he said in the most honest way he could. Then he turned on his heels and strode down the hallway.

Ron watched him go and hoped he’d never end up thinking that. 

XXX

“Ah hello, my dear pupil,” Don greeted with a smile that hid so many secrets. Ron didn’t mind so much but maybe it was because secrets were so common. He kept them and Harry had some too.

Nobody told everyone everything, not even best friends. “Is it just us tonight?” Ron asked, sitting on the couch next to his mentor and sighing. He wanted to melt like Harry had but he waited for Don. 

“Just us,” Don confirmed “you’ve been stressed,” he said. 

“I think all us have been,” Ron said, he noticed how distant he felt to his other friends in Gryffindor. They carried on with this obliviousness, the Quidditch World Cup dark mark was a hoax according to the minister. 

A harmless prank and the muggles being attacked left a right didn’t exist. The tournament was exciting and fun, not an excellent way to kill his best friend. “Hm, yes, you might be right. The real question is, how are you handling it.”

“I took a break today, or at least I thought I did,” Ron said then explained what had happened with Rita Skeeter and the dragon task. Don listened intently, asking questions. Ron’s shoulders relaxed a little as he explained how worried he felt about Harry. How distant he felt sometimes. 

“People are lonely creatures, seems no matter what species we are, we spend so much time inside of our heads. The distance you feel is created by your own belief. We all feel it, just open up and you’ll find you’re not as alone as you think,” Don said, he pet Ron’s hair like his father did. 

Ron breathed then and his mood perked a bit more “am I supposed to think or not think, make up your mind,” he huffed bemused. Don chuckled lowly. 

“Today, I’m going to show you how to use a portal,” Don said and Ron sat up “I’ve decided that this knowledge may be vital in an emergency situation. At your age and threshold for magic, you can conjure one in the portal without needing to rest and drink to replenish your stores. Do not drain yourself, it can mean your death.”

“It's why haven’t taught me it sooner, right?” Ron said. 

“Right, promise me that you won’t risk yourself unnecessarily,” Don’s eyes were dark and serious, he waited. 

“I promise,” he said.

“You don’t want to drink fresh blood yet, I’ve respected that choice as I respect my sons. But should the need arise and someone is willing, you need to except things may come to it. In a situation where your strength means life or death, you need to choose life,” Don said. 

Ron nodded “I understand,” he said, “if it comes to that, I’ll do it.”

“Good, then I also have one more thing to teach you. It's all in theory but it's how to turn someone,” Don said. Ron’s breath hitched.

Xxx

Hermione was incredibly grateful to Hattie and Zoey, with their help she could feel a difference in her physical stamina. She also found it was excellent to reduce stress by hitting something. 

Maybe she was a little dependent on that style of stress relief though because she wanted to hit something now. The day had come for the first task and Harry face seemed drained of blood. He was terrified and she couldn’t do anything about it. 

Everyone else was alight with excitement, it was happy but Harry could barely choke down his food. “Relax,” she jumped when she heard the whispered advice next to her ear. Ron has close to her, dressed impeccably today in navy blue robes. 

She flushed “right,” she nodded, loosening her death grip on her fork. Harry was zoned out and Ron was occasionally poking him to get him to shove more food down his throat. 

“Sirius will be watching too,” Ron mentioned “you’ll do fine,” he said. 

“The entire school will be watching to watch me fail,” Harry said and Ron sighed. 

“Honestly,” Ron ruffled Harry’s hair roughly, making Harry sort of snap out of it. She was always amazed at the ease Ron knew how to distract him. “You have a plan, stick to it. If something goes sideways, Hermione and I are right here,” he said. 

“Right,” Harry said swallowed. 

“You are looking sorry,” Malfoy walked up from the Slytherin table. “Not feeling very confident?” 

“Sorry, you want to try that again?” Ron asked. 

Malfoy sat down next to Harry “I meant that you look nervous, thought I would mention that I’ll cheer you on,” Draco said. 

“Better, do you always have to stick your foot in your mouth?” Ron asked.

“I’m not good at this, okay? Feelings and stuff, it's not Slytherin,” Draco replied and Hermione rolled her eyes. Some feelings and stuff might do him some good considering how much he bottles up his own thoughts. 

Harry smiled a little at them, ah there was Harry again. “It did come off like you going to mock me,” he said. 

“Well, sorry, you got a plan for today?” Draco asked and Harry nodded “good, after this task and all. Let me know if you need help with anything. Potions is kind of my forte, I guess.”

“I guess? Is that modesty I hear?” Ron grinned, his teeth were sharp.

“Oh, stuff it, Weasley,” Draco sighed. 

Xxx

Ron was cursing Harry’s luck as he watched the other three champions perform their tasks. The last dragon was definitely not a horntail so it meant that Harry got it. 

Ron watched them all intently, they all did reasonably well with their tasks. Krum getting a bit burned with his own. He still walked off the field though and wasn’t carried. The crowd was cheering like mad but Ron didn’t feel like celebrating Harry’s task. 

“Please work,” Hermione said lowly as Harry stepped out under the sun. Harry looked impossibly small, dressed in his Quidditch robes probably for the protection. Good. 

Ron swallowed and leaned forward, Harry waved his wand screaming his incantation “Accio firebolt!” The broom wooshed over their heads and directly at Harry. The horntail’s slitted eyes found it and him as he jumped onto the broom and sored upwards. 

The dragon was tense with anger and snarled as it curled towards its egg, the golden one. Ron ignored the announcers “great Scott! He can fly!” to focus on Harry baiting the Horntail. 

The horntail took to the sky in pursuit of Harry who evaded the white-hot fire that came out of its maw. Ron felt his face get hot as he could feel the fire even this far back. Harry just barely dodged its spiked tail. 

Then Harry made a loop to the eggs and with both hands outstretched, he scooped up the golden egg. Ron cheered with Hermione and the crowd. He felt a huge relief as Harry now soared up away from the dragon. The dragon’s chain wouldn’t reach where he was. 

The dragon roared in fury and it yanked at the chain keeping it near the ground. Ron’s heart stalled when the dragon yanked as hard as it could again. And the chain, worn down from the dragon’s previously tugging at it, came out of the ground. 

“NO!” he growled, practically everyone was just watching in horror as the chain and dragon flew away. Ron jumped off the stadium towards the ground. Without much thought, he threw off his cloak and shot a stunning spell at the dragon’s disappearing tail. It barely slapped it but it was enough for the dragon to rear its head back. 

He wrenched the whip off his belt and arched his arm up and brought it down quickly so that it went ‘CRACK!” 

“Come and get me!” he yelled and cracked his whip again, if he could get it on the ground, the handlers could grab its chain and have it immobilized again. His adrenaline made him near deaf to the announcers and crowd screaming. 

The dragon did turn around, its focus off of Harry and on him. He took out his hand, thinking furiously about the magic circles that Sol taught him. Would a shield hold up against dragon fire? 

“Fuck!” he said as the dragon’s chest glowed in preparation for fire breath. Ron focused on the incantation and drew in midair the protection circle. Once he was done, it glowed red.

He braced for it not to hold but he heard a scream of “stupefy!” which slammed into the dragon’s head. It drew the fire to hit but not so directly.

His face was hot but not burnt as it bounced off the shield and dispersed to either side of it. “Ron!” Harry yelled, “incoming!”

“Idiot, it's you it's after!” Ron snapped as he vanished the shield that was all but useless after taking a beating from the dragon fire. But he stared as Harry dropped Sol next to him. Harry took to flying in circles, hitting the dragon with stupefying to get closer to the ground. 

“Remember that weight spell I taught you?” Sol asked quickly. 

“It’s not big enough to hold a dragon down!” Ron said.

“Don’t worry, it’ll work with two of us!” he said. 

“Fine!” Ron cracked his whip and the dragon reared its head, associating the sound with him. “Come on, closer,” he said. 

“Ready?” Sol asked, his eyes glowing with the high tension he felt. 

Ron nodded and held up his wand and drew it in the air. The circle was made up of 12 different runes and many intersecting lines to make it a very powerful spell. It was made to make gravity heavier, against a person it would feel like a crushing weight on you. Ron cast it and shot it forward, like a smoke ring it moved through the dragon and rotated so it was above it like a halo. 

Sol shot another circle forward and it grew huge and Ron’s heart slammed his ribcage as the dragon roared as gravity slammed it into the ground. It was over, the dragon was subdued, its eyes closed as they had knocked it out. 

Harry landed his broom next to them as the dragon handlers ran onto the field. “What the hell was that?” Harry asked, his eyes still wide with adrenaline. 

“Tell you later,” Ron replied and slapped Harry on the back. “I’m glad you're not toasted. Oh, and congratulations,” he added. 

Suddenly the stunned silence in the crowd woke up and deafened cheers replaced them. He wished he had some earplugs. “You are completely mad!” Ron turned to find Charlie there, the rest of the handlers working to secure the dragon. 

“You don’t think the judges will disqualify him, do you?” Sol said looking at Harry. 

“If they do, they’ll have hell to pay. Technically he got the egg, the rest was just Lady Luck’s awful grudge on him that the chain came undone,” Ron replied. 

“Well, that was certainly a show! The judges are figuring out Potter’s score now.”

“If I get disqualified, do you think I can skip the next two tasks?” Harry wondered. 

“Doubt it,” Sol sighed “never happened in the history of the tournament, even with cheaters.”

“Alright, the judges have decided their scores and Harry Potter wins this round! Our youngest was the quickest to retrieve his egg and in the face of unexpected events, proved capable of remedying the situation. Truly impressive!”

In the past, Ron may have been upset that no one mentioned how he and Sol were the ones that actually took down the dragon but he was tired. “Let’s get out of here,” he cracked his neck. 

“What was that spell?” Harry asked walking alongside him, throwing an arm around his back. He looked tired and elated and terrified all at once.

Ron grinned “its what I’ve been working on, magic circles. Apparently, the ministry is too stuck up its own arse to see the benefits of Asian practices of magic. Takes a bit more practice and longer to produce but very strong.”

“Clearly, show me then?”

“Maybe,” he said. 

“Oh come on, Ron,” Harry was coming down from his high, sort of, at least until their whole house kidnapped him to party in the common room. Hermione walked up to him once he was off to the side watching his best friend celebrate. 

She swallowed and hugged him, he automatically returned it “what this for?” he asked. 

She smacked his arm, hard, “you faced a dragon in broad sunlight. Even if the fire hadn’t killed you, it could have melted your gauntlets, and then you’d really be dead,” she said this all while hitting him. 

“Right,” Ron said, feeling a bit guilty then “sorry, I couldn’t just leave it alone though.”

“Prat,” Hermione sighed and squeezed him. 

“Sorry, alright?”

Xxx

Ron decided that today he’d stay with Hermione while Harry went to shower and hopefully to bed. “The magic you did was really impressive, I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. 

“Yeah, it’s what Sol’s been showing me. It’s powerful magic, I have a feeling that sort of thing will be useful soon. I can’t help but feel like we’re counting down to something,” he said. 

“And like everyone else is oblivious to it? Like they don’t see all the signs,” Hermione said, she was sitting close to him, her hand squeezing his arm. “Fudge is doing all he can to dismiss and downplay everything,” she added. 

Ron knew that the man was a hopeless case, he wanted to help the rights of vampires and other beings like their old Professor Lupin. But something was happening that might put a wrench in the plans.

No one wanted to admit it but after the attack on Nacht Castle, it was obvious, You Know Who was coming back. “Ron, do wizards know about World War 2?” she asked. 

Ron knew a bit of it “yeah, it affected magical communities too. Wizards were more deeply in hiding than because of the bombing,” he said. “But I only know because of Aunt Muriel.”

“We’re not learning our own history,” Hermione said “Binns refuses to teach anything but the Goblin rebellion. I can’t find history books on the 1st Wizarding War, nothing.”

“Let me ask Don,” Ron said. 

Xxx

Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked into the History of Magic class expecting plenty of bored to death, tired students. Ron stopped when he saw his mentor instead, Don.

“Er?” Ron looked around to see that the Slytherin’s whom they had a class with were also confused and intrigued. 

“Good morning, please have a seat. Professor Binns has so graciously allowed me to be his assistant in teaching for the rest of the year. We’ve agreed he needs a break,” Don smiled. 

Ron sat at a desk and took out his notebook and quill. Just what his mentor up to exactly? “I understand that you were only provided one reading material for the whole year. But honestly, I think it’s a bit outdated,” Don explained then waved his wand and a stack of books went to each person. 

Ron looked down at his copy of “History of Magical 1960s to Modern Day.”

“If you’ll outline this before we begin, I’ll need you to read chapter 10-12 by the next class. It covers the reign of whom you’d call Dark Lord or You-know-who in the 1970s. Quite brief but I’ll be able to fill in more blank spots,” he said. 

Everyone wrote it down “good, some of you may know me well as I teach French and Romanian language classes. Fortunately, we were able to adjust my schedule so that I can teach this important class.”

He turned to the board and wrote on it “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” and underneath it. “This is a rather intelligent man named George Santayana. I won’t bog you down with the philosophy but it is part of human nature.”

“The war of Grindelwald and the Wizarding war followed each other closely. Out of one war and into the another, both were pureblood supremacists, both had a hatred of muggles, and both fell with thousands of dead at their wake,” Don began. 

The room was deathly silent, Ron knew why, no one wanted to talk about the war then. Any curiosity about it was quickly silenced by their parents who refused to talk about it. “I’m not here to lecture about beliefs, I’m here to state facts to which you can analyze for yourself.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please drop and comment and subscribe if you would like to see more. Already working on the next chapter in this series.


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